Reconnect
by XKey of the AbyssX
Summary: Sequel to N:O:oU Celia has returned to the Black Order yet again.Unfortunately it seems that she has no memory of who she was and no one else but Kanda seems to recognize who she is.When the two depart in search of Allen,it seems the girl's problems just get bigger when she's getting chased.And who are the people who came to 'help' her now?KandaXOC
1. Chain One

**Truthfully I was seriously going to wait till i got into school to put this new story up but seeing as so many people already want to see what happens next I was like what the heck.**

**For those who're reading this one for the first time, you should know that this is a sequel of one of my previous DGM stories, Not :One: of Us. So you might want to read that first. ;) Just saying.**

**Before starting I have to give the sum as always.**

**Summary: It's been three months since Allen's escape and now with Kanda's unexpected return comes an even more unexpected arrival with great unexpected results. Now both Kanda and their unremembered friend, Celia, have returned from the dead. Celia however seems to have no recollection and has only one goal to accomplish. When all goes south and Kanda journeys with Johnny to find Allen, it seems that they don't just have the Akuma and the Noah after them. Madame has sent the Six God Brigaiders after Celia Valentine and will stop at nothing to retrieve the last piece to their mistress' plan. But will they be able to go through Kanda who guards her wanting to keep her away from harms way and losing her again? Then again does this seemingly unharmful little girl need any protection at all?**

**Not really tells much but anyway. **

**With no further ado to those who've been waiting for this, here it is.**

* * *

**Chain One: Reunion**

* * *

Celia Valentine sat oblivious to everything surrounding her. She could see it, hear it, touch it, but regardless of what it was, she had no recollection of what they were. Or who they were for that matter.

So she just sat there looking at her hands as if nothing had happened. As if not a few hours ago she hadn't gotten out of a driblet of his blood.

"Do you remember my name?" Asutsuo came up to her for the umpteenth time. Celia -a name she was being called as, so she figured that must be her own name- thought of the boy before as kind of annoying. He had been there for over two hours trying to get her to say his name. Sure he annoyed him but she also thought he was sort of adorable. She knew what it was but her vocal chords refused to pronounce something other than monosyllable words at the moment. Nonetheless, she attempted to shut the annoying but cute boy.

"Asu..." she mumbled unable to say such complicated name.

"A-su-tsu-o!" the boy that was now after three months in the body of a ten-year-old. His jet black hair was short to his neck and spiked down. His red eyes looked up at the seventeen-year-old girl who sat before him. Her dark chocolate bangs veiling her bright amethyst orbs from his. "Come on, can't you say it? Celia nee-chan."

"Asu-" she blushed when she couldn't get the whole word out. This was seriously starting to frustrate her. Stupid voice box. She took another breath and tried again, "Asut-" Asutsuo simply sighed and tried again.

"It's amazing isn't it?" Kanda turned to the voice that appeared beside him in the doorway unnoticed. The girl with the same face as Celia's, Alice, simply grinned. Her red orbs staring inside at the two and her long platinum hair up in a tail away from her face. And of course they had the same face, they were twins. Sad twins that after being torn apart by fate found a way to each other only to be seperated again this time by death. She stood against the doorway with her arms crossed before her. "She's here and nobody remembers her but you."

"You don't say-"

"Yep," she said with a grin tapping her temple twice with her forefinger. "I don't remember crap about the girl there. You say she's my older twin sister but truthfully I can't remember her. Sure, I'll give it to you that she looks quite alike me just in a darker tone. She could pass as my sister."

"That's because she is your sister," Kanda called getting tired of her sardonic tone.

"Is you say so," Alice said with a shrug of her shoulders. "However crazy your story, I find that I might believe it."

"After being such a believer towards what I say?" he called with a snort. "How come?"

"Asutsuo said something a few hours before when we visited Zhu," Alice said with a serious expression on her face. "He said that someone kept talking to him in his dreams and that when he asked about them that the person would only say that their name started with a 'C'. Needless to say, when he told me that the name 'Celia' sprouted in my mind. I didn't know who it was and didn't get why that name came to mind. The moment you came with her through those doors, though, was frankly the happiest I've ever felt since I woke up. Weirdest thing is that I have no idea why I'm happy of meeting someone I don't know."

"That's because you do know her," Kanda insisted getting majorly tired of repeating himself. "She's your older sister, Celia. You love her in a disgustingly close manner and always used to scowl at me because of how she would run to me when troubled."

"That I would believe if it weren't for the fact that you naturally tick me off, no matter who or what the situation is," Alice said turning on her heels to walk into the room. "Asutsuo, we have to go. General Kloud said that you're going out with Timothy and her for a mission today."

"Yes!" Asutsuo called to her mother. He turned to Celia before leaving, "We'll work on that when I get back, okay?"

"O...Okay," she answered sheepishly. He smiled and left running followed by his mother. After seeing him leave she sighed in relief. He wouldn't bother her until he came back. Then again she didn't know when that would be.

Kanda came in making her lose her train of thought. "You feel any better?" She nodded once but that was it. "What about your memory? Remember me or any of the people?" She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders slightly. It bothered him how she spoke to all the others but barely to him. He scowled making her flinch thinking she'd done something wrong. "You're pathetic. You used to be so much more annoying in the good way. Now you're just plain stupid."

Her brow furrowed and she opened her mouth about to repproached but was halted when Komui came into the room. "Kanda-kun, Hevlaska's willing to meet your friend."

"Finally," Kanda said with a sigh as he stood up. He turned to Celia, "Come on dumbest. We're leaving."

Her cheeks puffed at the insult, _What a jerk!?_ She crossed her arms before her and adverted her eyes apparently mad about the name calling. He scoffed and surprised her when he picked her up over his shoulder. She yelled undecipherable mumbles and jibbers white punching his back and kicking at the front. "Seems like that sassy attitude of yours doesn't go away even when you have no recall of the past."

After a good walk and a good kick square on the jaw he dropped her roughly on the floor of a dark room. She sat there with her cheeks still puffed in anger and crossing her legs and arms.

"Is she...?"

"She's fine. Just call her already," Kanda called.

"Hevlaska, I've brought the girl I spoke to you about," Komui called to the woman. Hevlaska appeared from underneath were no floor seemed to be and scared Celia a bit. So much that she had to stand up to avoid the limbs that came towards her.

"Don't run, young one," Hevlaska said in a soothing voice. "I mean you no harm. I just wish to know more about you."

Celia didn't feel quite safe with so many intimidating people there but she had to relax for at least a little while. If she did then the sooner she would be able to be let go of. She let the tentacles come over her body and raise her up to the face of the woman.

"Just calm down," she said in a soothing voice. Celia tried to and her shoulders relaxed letting Hevlaska do her inspection. "Amazing."

"What is it Hev?" Komui asked.

"This girl," she said with great thinking. "She is not human."

"What?" Kanda called startled by the comment.

"Her body, blood, and every organ in her body are made out of Innocence," Hevlaska said. "The greatest concentration of it is the mark on her chest. It appears to be where all the rest is connected. Mmh."

"And now," Komui said calmly.

"Her essence. The Innocence's essence she has resonates with that of Mugen," she answered. "Curiously enough, it seems that both Mugen and her are connected by Kanda's blood."

"You're making no sense," Kanda snapped, hissing at her in anger. "Are you trying to say that she's turned to Innocence."

"In such a case where an Innocence takes an independent body and has no need for an acomodator would be when they are referred to as 'Apocryphos'," she explained to his outburst. "However, she does not meet all qualifications of being one. Although she is Innocence and has an independent body of her own, she does have an acomodator." She turned her head towards Kanda, "It appears as if you are it, Kanda."

"W-What...?" he mumbled confused.

Hevlaska didn't answer his small voiced thought but instead went back to examining the girl. Suddenly Celia's body began to writhe under her touch as the scar on her chest began to glow a bright scarlet. When Hevlaska wouldn't recede violently sparks of red energy began lashing away at her but she still wouldn't let her free.

"Let go..." Celia mumbled struggling to be free of her.

"Just a little further," Hevlaska mumbled as she pried deeper into the girl's subconscious.

**"Leave me alone!"** Celia exclaimed furious as the sparks suddenly became aggitated and attacked Hevlaska. At the unexpected ambush, the large Exorcist released Celia's body drawing back herself. The girl landed swiftly upon the floor of the room facing the floor and her arms at her sides.

"Celia-chan?" Komui voiced. At that moment Kanda felt a sharp pain on his forearms and held fast to them.

At hearing another's voice, Celia reacted by holding her hands apart from each other and in front of her body. A beam of light shot horizontally in her hands' grasp. Holding it tight, the light snuffed out leaving only white feathers to dance about as she twirled the kwan dao over her shoulders and onto her left hand. She aimed it straight at Hevlaska who only stayed in place.

"I said." Both present were shocked to hear that th girl's sweet toned voice had changed to a more rough one; to Kanda it was the same voice he heard all the time back then. "To let me go. You had no motive to search memories."

"I apologize," Hevlaska actually called. "It was my error to pry deeper into your mind. I just wished to see what is it that Kanda sees that we have all, apparently, have blinded out."

"There's nothing there to see," Celia held the kwan dao steadily. "My Master wished it so."

"Your master?" Komui said turning to Kanda who only looked down trying to think what could she mean by that.

"Don't flatter yourself punkass." Kanda's vein popped at hearing the insult spill from her mouth. Celia smirked mischievously and tilted her head back to see them two, "When I say my Master, I mean my true one. Not you."

"Who're you talking about, Celia-chan?" Komui asked her.

"He doesn't want me to know apparently," Celia answered her smirk changing to a frown. "He said it is better for me that I do not know of him so he erased his true identity from my core."

"Your core?" he repeated.

"The red scar on her chest is the source of her life," Hevlaska told them. "It is her 'heart'. If it were destroyed it would indeniably kill her."

"My Master did it to safekeep my existence." She turned up but stuck her tongue out at Kanda, "But he made a bad decision putting me with such a dumbass Apostle."

"You little-" Kanda bickered drawing Mugen out but managed to be stopped by Komui.

"Well it seems you are able to speak normally now, Celia-chan," Komui commented to her, changing the topic.

Celia stared at the floor pondering with her fingers on her chin. "It seems that Hevlaska's pounding on my memories triggered my rebooting functions. The reason I wasn't able to speak earlier seemed to be because of my wrong landing."

"Wrong...landing?" Komui repeated.

"I wasn't suppose to come out just yet, it seemed." She frowned yet smirked at Kanda, "I blame that on you, dumbass Apostle." Komui held on tight to Kanda while Celia sighed with her hands on her hips, "But my Master did place me with you and it had to be for a reason. I guess I have no choice but to follow you then."

"T-Then it's settled!" Komui said rejoiced. "You'll be joining the Black Order."

"Cool," she said with a toothy grin. She walked heading for the staircase and passed by Kanda who was still being held by Komui. She slapped his chest twice, harder the second time to make it hurt, "Let's get going them, Bochan~ I've got a hunger beyond words. I need food, pronto."

"Kanda-kun, please promise you'll behave with her and try not to harm her," Komui whispered.

Kanda finally jerked away from his grasp and straightened up. He was about to speak when she called again. "Hurry your ass, Mr. Egocentric! I'm getting hungrier by the second!"

He turned to him and scowled, "I can't promise anything."

Komui sighed at them and watch them walk away. Celia wakled away with her hands on the back of her head. When Kanda finally caught up to her she turned to face him and started walking backwards up the stairs. How, was beyond him, but he was sure that she started bickering at him again because he saw a huge grin cross her face as Kanda's hand shook temptingly on Mugen's hilt. Another sighed escaped him but somehow this seemed to be normal.

Even when he didn't remember the girl at all, it frankly felt like he knew her from sometime ago.

* * *

"Wow, Celia-chan," Lenalee mumbled watching Celia consume countless of plates of food in no time. She chuckled it away, "You remind me of someone who had a very similar apetite to yours."

Swallowing a recent bite of lasagna. "Really?" she said curiously. "Who?" Lenalee's face sullen but she kept her smile.

"A snarky ass beansprout, that's who," Kanda barked at Celia. "Now shut up and eat."

"What are you, my mother?" Celia snickered mockingly and went for a bowl of chicken noodle soup. After finishing that in a minute she turned about watching the rest of the dinning hall. The place was so full of people; they were people she didn't know and yet there was something spreading in her chest. "This place is so...warm."

"It's probably because we're so close to the kitchen, Celia-chan," Lenalee assured her taking a bite from her food.

"No," Celia said softly grasping at her chest over her dress. "I mean that it feels warm...in here. This place...why does it make me feel like that."

Kanda glanced at her from his plate of soba. She had stopped eating and stared down at her own chest. She was describing the same thing she had said back when they first met. It seemed that, back then, leaving out in the streets really left her with a lonesome issue. If he counted right, it would be eight years since she left the Order going MIA after a mission when she was ten. That's true, she'd soon be eighteen too just a year younger than himself. When she came in the first time, she really liked the warmness of the place because it felt homy and cozy. Her words, not his.

"Perhaps..." he said not even knowing he had begun to speak. "It's that you feel at home here." When he finally caught himself he scowled and 'che'd'. "If you're that kind of sentimental brat, that is."

"Hmph," she huffed and frowned. Ignoring him she continued eating but couldn't keep the words he'd said. Could it be that she actually felt like at home in such a place as this? She smacked the idea out of her mind and continued eating.

_Tinkle, tinkle._

Her head snapped up hearing a very distinctive sound of bells. At turning behind her something white clashed with her forehead.

"Ah!" she shrieked holding her forehead fast as the stinging of the blow hurt her. She looked down to the floor and saw a very weird white ball.

"Celia-chan?" Lenalee inquired when the girl turned her whole body around from the table. "What's wrong?"

"This thing-" she picked up the white golem that squirmed under her hand whilst she held it by the wings, "-hit my face. It looks like a marshmellow." She turned to Lenalee, "Can I eat it?"

"N-No! That's not food!" Lenalee exclaimed trying to undo Celia's grasp on the golem. Once able to the golem flew in front of Celia's face. "That's a golem and her name's Navi."

"Navi?" Celia repeated as the golem continued to fly around her head. It stopped before her face again and flapped her wings together making that tinkling sound she had heard before. Then it landed upon her shoulder and snuggled at the crook of her neck. Celia chuckled at the feeling, "It tickles."

"Navi's been quite depressed since three months ago," Lenalee noted to Kanda but not taking her gaze from the girl who played with the white golem, stretching it by its wings and shooting it away. The golem nevertheless came back with glee. "Refused to work and now look at it. It's like she's the happiest ever."

Kanda finished his meal and only gazed at the girl who happily bullied the golem in her hands. Of course the marshmellow would be happy, she'd been reunited with its master after all. He sighed and stood up taking his tray to Jerry.

"Ah," Celia said doing the same with Lenalee following behind her.

"I already placed your uniforms in your room, Kanda," Lenalee said after turning a corner and stopping since she was heading another way.

"Sure," he said turning to leave.

"See you later, Lenalee," Celia said with a grin with Navi ontop of her head as she followed behind Kanda.

* * *

"Am I suppose to wear this?" Celia asked inspecting the uniform that was laid on the bed. Kanda had already taken his and changed in the bathroom.

"For the fifth time, yes," he said irritated enough. "Now go change."

She pursed her lips but shrugged her shoulders. Placing the black V neck shirt down she reached for the hem of the dress she wore and began to lift it up. She was suddenly stopped when Kanda's hands halted her hands from moving by grabbing her wrists.

"What do you think you're doing?" he called noticing that she had almost raised the dress past her thighs.

"Changing." She smirked mischievously, "What, you've never seen a girl naked?"

"You damn brat!" He shoved her inside the bathroom and threw the clothes at her. "Change in there!" And he swiftly slammed the door behind her.

Celia poked her head out, "Wittle Kanda's embawessed?"

"Just change!" he bellowed making her shut the door with lock. He sat down tired of her attitude. She was truly insufferable even more than before it seemed. He laid down on the bed actually liking the feel of his own mattress after three months out there. When he heard the water of the shower starting to run, he figure he could get some rest at least while she was in there. He had twenty minutes of peace before he heard shuffling of clothes inside and the door opens afterwards.

"That felt good," she swooned drying her hair with the towel. She stretched and was only on the V neck shirt and white shorts and stockings leaving the skin boots aside along with the Exorcist jacket. She rushed and jumped ontop of him. When he didn't move or pester her like she thought he would have, she looked at his face covered by his arm. She poked his cheek. "Are you alive, Bochan?"

"Don't call me that," he hissed but not showing his eyes.

Curiously enough, since she didn't get a reaction, she got off from him. "You lack much interior decoration in this place." She looked about but there was nothing really to see. The room was clearly obscured since no lights were on. There was only the bed where he slept a desk and a bedside table with an hourglass. At closer inspection she noticed that on the top chamber of the hourglass was a lotus bud that was flourishing since sometime. A couple of petals had already fallen onto the lower chamber announcing that its life had begun to roll downhill. "Pretty flower."

"Don't touch it."

The remark made her want to touch it even more. "I'm not touching it," she grumbled hovering her slick index over the glass. She looked at it more closely and her eyes widened when yet another petal fell from he lotus. "Ah," she whispered to herself.

"What?"

"Nothing." She snapped quickly turning away fromt he hourglass. It wasn't her fault. It fell 'cause it was already withering, right? She went over to sit on the bed's edge where he wasn't lying down. "Ah, that's true," she said to herself while snapping her fingers. She got up and shuffled through the thigns in the drawer until she found what she wanted. Kanda didn't seemed bothered by her as long as she didn't touch the hourglass but when he heard snipping he got up and turned her way.

"What are you doing?"

"I hate my long hair," she rambled snipping her bangs the lenght of her chin. It had taken her about two minutes to do her bangs but the rest of her hair was simply too long for her to cut herself. He sighed and stood up taking the scissors from her hands. "Hey!"

"Knot you hair to the length," he ordered her. Confused she tilted her head towards him. "This is the one time I'll offer you help, so do it!" Startled she did as told and parted her hair and knotted it in two low tails with the knot being just below her shoulders. He sat on the bed's edge while she went and has a sit between his legs but on the floor.

"Do you know what you're doing?" she asked a little scared.

"How do you think I take care of my own?" he inquired and move one of the tails over her shoulder. Her nape was at full view for him and somehow that made him quite uneasy. A feeling yearned him to do something that he hadn't done ever since that one time that he 'harrased' her. With good intentions in mind but nonetheless harrased her. He began to snip away the long strands of her hair leaving that one side shoulder length. Grabbing the other he continued and to her surprised by the end, her hair was shourlder length from the back and a bit longer up front. The ends of it were trimmed quite well with the scissors edge. Overall it looked good.

"Thanks," she said turning to him.

"Whatever," he said picking up the mess he made and throwing what remained on the trash.

"I was going to ask you," she said while he came back towards the bed passing by her while she stood. "What's your name?"

"Huh?" He turned on his heels and glanced at her a bit surprised. That's true, he hadn't told her his name since she came back.

"I've heard everyone else calling you 'Kanda'. But Lenalee told me that it was your surname," she said. "You seemed to have already known mine. Celia Valentine, you said, right? What's your name?"

It felt awkward since he really didn't want to be called that specially since it's only been three months since Alma's death. He didn't wish to hear his name come from anybody else's lips. And yet...something in him wanted for her to call him out. To hear her voice call him by his name even if it made him mad like usual. If she could, he thought it would feel like if she hadn't forgotten anything at all.

"It's...Yu."

It surprised him that she remained quiet all of a sudden. He turned her way to see her eyes looking at him in wonder. All of a sudden he saw the single tear trickle down her left cheek.

"What's wrong?"

"Huh?" she blinked twice and reached her fingers up to her cheek. "T-That's strange." She wipped her face fervously and chuckled, "I'm feeling strange inside. My stomach's all fluttery and stuff. I wonder if it's because I ate so mu-" But her words ended when she felt his warm palm on the back of her neck as she was suddenly being pulled towards him.

She felt something in her chest beating faster and felt her cheeks quickly get hotter from the blood that rushed up to her cheeks. She could feel his breath on her lips and his delicious scent through her nose. She swore they were so close that he could probably hear that constant beating that only got louder. But every entrancement that they were in suddenly broke when the two knocks came to the door. Followed by reality knocking at her brain made her hands push him away. Flusttered by the odd actions she simply rummaged with the sim of her shirt while Kanda went for the door.

"What is it, Marie?" he called after opening the door.

"Johnny," he said almost telling the news way too loud. "He's resigning from the Black Order." Celia only heard the news from her place as her heartbeat returned to normal. Johnny? Curiously enough that name sounded familiar to her. "Do you think that he's going to go after him?"

Kanda came inside taking his Exorcist coat from the bedpost and putting it on. "Of course he is."

"Where're you going?" Celia asked, her snarky demeanor returning to her.

"Nowhere you are," Kanda said getting Mugen as well.

Celia's cheeks puffed in anger as she suddenly held fast to Kanda's free arm unabling him to leave. "If you're going then so am I, Yu."

His eyes widened at her lips saying his name. It gave him a sort of warmness in him to hear it coming from her. He smirked and patted her head. When he saw her pout he noted that she still found it completely frustrating to be treated like a child. "Don't force yourself. Call me whatever you want." He sighed and walked over to his bed grabbing her coat and pushed it in her hands. "Hurry up and get Xiao from the midget's room. We're leaving this place for good."

* * *

**Well how was it? Quite long, huh? I usual wrwite 3 grand but I thought what the heck I might as well. So here you guys got it. The first chapter. See, I promised there would be more KandaXCelia in this one.**

**Hoped you liked it**

**Please review~**


	2. Chain Two

**Well this started off as good as could be expected I could say :)**

**thanks to:  
-RedTheAmazing  
-Violet the Wolf  
-kayukishinomiya  
~and to the lovely people who left the reviews~ You're too many to name but you're awesome! And it was barely the first chapter~:D Thanks a lot! ****for the story favs and becoming followers and the reviews~ Thanks that really brings my mood up ;D**

**For now let's keep going~Shall we? ;3**

* * *

**Chain Two: A Moment's Hesitation**

* * *

Alice came into the door of her son's room to find him sitting in complete awe while staring at a piece of paper in his hands.

"Asutsuo?" she inquired coming but the boy didn't mind. Whatever was in his head at that moment seemed to be of greater importance than his own mother. "What's the matter?"

"This...she left it here," Asutsuo said crumbling the letter in his hands.

"Who?"

"Celia nee-chan," Asutsuo said holding his face. "But it doesn't make sense. When did I... Have I met her before?" He scratched deliberately at his head, "I have but I didn't call her nee-chan. What did I call her?" He grit his teeth tears escaping his eyes, "Mommy."

"It's your mind son," she said quietly to him while cradling his head in her hands. "It's playing games on you." Her hands out of nowhere glowed a dim green light that seeped into Asutsuo's head.

"Yeah," he said his once squared shoulders relaxing in seconds. "That's it. This letter's...fake. It's not Celia nee-chan's."

"I'll throw it away for you, son." Asutsuo gave the crumpled paper to her mother's hand. "Now rest. You just came back from a mission." The boy laid on his side on his bed while Alice began to make her leave. However, she stopped when she saw something amiss. "Son, where's Xiao?"

"I didn't find it. Lena-chan said that Da- Kanda-san took it with him and gave it to Celia nee-chan," Asutsuo answered in a very lethargic voice.

"I see," Alice said and heading silently out closing the door gently behind her. Taking the letter out of her hands she read its crumpled form.

_If your reading this it means something's happen to me, Atsu. And that means that I'm no longer with you all; with you or with your mother or with Lenalee and everybody else. I'll say this, take care of yourself bucko but don't cry out for me just yet. Believe in me, even though I'm gone or not myself; frankly you are the one person who I know will ever doubt me. One of these days soon enough I'll be gone and won't be able to protect the things I care about. People like yourself, your mother, and everybody else in our 'home'. _

_Asutsuo, you're a very bright boy and very fortunate as well. So I'll tell you this once so that you know this one truth about life that I learned the hard way. Treasure the ones you love, only that way will you ever find a light in the deep darkness that this world has turned out to be. Find your light and teach others how to find theirs as well. I believe that that way is how this world will become ever brighter than before. _

_That's how this world will become the place where we all can live together. In peace or not, truly to me it doesn't matter as long as we live in it together. _

Alice crumpled the paper, her once crimson eyes glaring down at the piece, however, with emeralf eyes.

"Alice-chan?"

Alice blinked, the normal crimson returning to her eyes, as she smiled and looked up to face Lenalee. "Yes?"

"Is Asutsuo-kun feeling all right?" the fellow Exorcist inquired worriedly.

"It seems he has caught a flu from his last mission," Alice lied to her and hiding the paper swiftly behind her back without Lenalee noticing. "I laid him to rest just now."

"Timothy returned sick as well," Lenalee said with a sigh but remembered what she had come to Alice for. "Ah that's right. Zhu Mei Chan's ceremony will be in a couple of hours. Komui wanted for me to tell you that."

"I'll be certain to attend," Alice assured her and let the girl leave. She sighed and held out the paper in front of her, "What a pest you're turning out to be Miss Celia Valentine. Nevertheless I still have this Ace under my sleeve."

* * *

"You want to what!?" Celia hissed at Kanda as they ran for goodness knows what through the train station.

"Shut it, Valentine," Kanda called her off seeing which train currently in Johnny had gone into. "Can you sense anything?"

Celia blew off the strands of hair on her forehead and looked over the station. "Ah," she called out pointing at one of the trains still in the station. "There's magic emanating from that one."

"Which window!?" he ran over with her beside him.

"The third one from the door!" she called. He kicked through it and went directly through kicking one of the CROWs that Celia had felt using his seals inside the room. She broke through the window next to his and kneeled neatly on the carpeted floor of the hall. Standing up she saw Kanda taking out the second CROW and shoving his unconscious body inside the room only to close the door behind him. Celia chuckled hearing a ruckus inside of it, "If it works for him."

"Ah, Valentine-san."

Celia turned to see one of the few people who she had seen from the Order. She snapped her fingers, "You're Johnny Gill, right?"

"Y-Yes," he answered in a stutter. "But if you're here t-then the one who just..."

"Yep," she said with a sly smirk crossing her arms before her. That's when the seals holding Johnny down dispersed and he went to open the room's door to see Kanda standing there with the already unconscious CROWs. She walked in and poked at them, "What the hell did you do to them?"

"You can't be too careful with CROW so I beat them to a pulp. Now you're a fugitive from the order just like us," Kanda said with a dark smirk.

"But why did you come here?" Johnny asked still inspecting.

"You were gonna go look for this Allen Walker, right?" Celia asked him.

"We're going with you." Kanda's simple, straight-forward answer left Johnny speechless. Celia didn't see what surprised Johnny that much. Kanda had to even specify exactly that they were going to be escorting him until they found Allen Walker or 'beansprout' how Kanda called him. Celia just patiently, or as with much patience as she could muster, walked off that train and started heading towards another one with Kanda half-dragging a still speechless Johnny.

Navi's tinkling took Celia by surprise and made her look up to her. "What's the matter?" The golem gave no response but instead its whole body turned behind them. Celia closed her eyes and stopped in the middle of the crowded station while disregarding every single noise in there.

Everything remained quiet and seemed to be serene until...

_Ting..._

She heard a distinctive echoed chimming of a single bell. _Where...?_ Her thoughts were dissipating by her order as the absolute silence's reign became even longer. Sharpening her senses she could feel the vibration that the chimming gave off. She could see the resonances that gave off waves of a purplish color. She could clearly hear the thumping of the small metal pebble clashing against the walls of its metal caging. And yet even through her honed senses she couldn't quite distinguish the location of it. She knew it was near but just not exactly were.

Another resonance of the chime came to her mind. Her eyes shot open at the sudden contact and all noise returned just as her senses returned to what was deemed normal. Her panted was noticable and so was her cold sweat along with her trembling finger tips. That last vibration came in her mind with something more that just the chimming. It was energy. Energy embedded inside of the noise itself to send a message. A clear one that couldn't have been clearer.

_Run._

She turned on her heels and came up behind Kanda and Johnny who apparently had already gotten a grasp of himself. "We need to leave," the urgency in her voice was tense and forceful just like the grab on his arm.

"What?"

"We're already leaving Celia-san," Johnny answered absent-mindedly. "It's not like I don't think they regain consciousness anytime soon but it'd be best for us to leave before the CROWs awaken."

The chimming came faint to her ears shrouded by the noise. It reached her ears though and made that same shiver run up her spine. That untangible fear was clear in her mind. They needed to get away from it. Now. "Let's get in a train!" she suggested a little too hectic. "That Allen guy wouldn't have gone anywhere near the Order, right? Let's head towards the next city." _Ting. _Her throat seemed dry and out of words. The echoing was ebbing; it was getting closer. "C'mon!" she called pushing Johnny into the train they were boarding. "Let's go!" Kanda went in with a sprint after them just as the train left the station.

She stuck her head out of the opened window of their cabin and saw as the station only kept farther ang farther away along with the ringing bell. Once it was but a remnant she slumped down with a heavy sigh of relieve.

"What the hell's with you?" Kanda asked completely baffled by her actions.

"I-I just wanted to get out and start loooking!" she retorted back with a loud bicker.

"Like your lousy sense of direction can help us," Kanda bickered back.

"That's it," she called threathing by unsheathing Xiao but immediately regretting it when the blade's own weight beat her hand's strength and weighed it down along with her upper body towards the ground. She tried prying it from the ground but realized it was futile to even try. "Damn...thing..." she grunted out the words and stopped to take a breath. She blew a strand of her hair from her face.

"Don't bother." His deep voice made her turn to him with a scowl that, most unfortunately, didn't match his. "No threats that you make with Xiao matter anymore since you can't activate it without my consent."

"This is bullshit!" she bellowed getting a clear 'don't shout' from a nervous Johnny. "You may be the reason why I'm here but like hell am I going to be ordered around by someone who should be a manservant!" That popped Kanda's bubble but Johnny was fast enough to hold him back before he could slit her throat with Mugen.

"Say that again and you won't live another day."

"Man-" but her sentence was cut short by Johnny's hand covering her mouth.

"I-I guess we should discuss how exactly we're going about on finding Allen, shouldn't we?" he suggested.

"If the brat shut ups," Kanda said calming down a bit and sheathing Mugen and finally sitting down while looking out the window.

"Would you cooperate, Celia-san? At least for the train ride," Johnny asked sincerely.

Celia couldn't say no. She just nodded and sat back down as soon as Johnny let go of her. The ex-scientist began talking to Kanda about his initial plan to search for Allen. Celia looked out the window whiled Kanda listened as much as he could. She couldn't have been less interested. She didn't have an idea who this Allen guy was and yet the stupid Bochan she had had the stupid urge to seek him out. And she couldn't just let him leave her behind. It wasn't just because she actually wanted to come along but also because she _literally_ couldn't stray away from him; she couldn't part from him for long. If they were seperated too far for too long her body would begin to shut off slowly because of the lack of life energy. Innocence needed its accomodator; even her as a half-Apocryphos that she was needed a life force to suck, well, life out of for her.

After what was some hours she heard a distinctive growl coming from her stomach. She held onto it and soon noticed that both were staring at her. "What?" she said blushing a bit but looking away to hide it. "Have you never heard a stomach growl? I'm f-ing hungry."

Johnny chuckled putting his pack of papers away, "That's true. It's almost noon. We'll be getting there shortly too. You think you could wait until we get there to eat something?"

"I guess," she pouted holding her stomach. It took them twenty minutes to arrive at the next station and to their destination. What Celia didn't expect was where Johnny intended to look for Allen. "Where are we?"

"Celia-san, are you still hungry?"

"Not anymore, I'm not," Celia said massaging her neck. It was awkward but if she didn't eat when she was hungry she couldn't eat afterwards. It was just something weird that she didn't get herself. She shrugged it off, "How 'bout we start looking?"

"Alright, then the first stop would be the 'Tigress' Alcove'," Johnny read from a grand pack of papers.

"That sounds like a stripper club for some reason," Celia commented.

"I'm just going with what he's doing," Kanda said picking up the luggage and following Johnny.

* * *

Janus pulled away his staff letting the mutt vanish into dust. Not far from him he saw how Kingsley slaughter a multitude of them in a span of minutes.

_"He never ceases to surprise me,"_ he thought making the staff disappear.

"Hey, kiddo," King said joyfully raising his hand as he walked towards him. "How's your end?"

"Clean," he said scanning around for more if there were any. "It's a bit of a surprise to see so many mutts on the loose."

"It's quite simple actually," Kingsley said as they continued their route. "Mutts come from Akuma. If there are more mutts that means that Akuma have been created in great numbers leading to the Lost Souls that can be created from them." He remained quiet and in thought, "Say, Janus. Are those God Brigaiders carriers of Progenitor?"

"In a way, yes."

"What do you mean?"

"Mother injected them with her infected cells," Janus explained. "They used to be human just like Ammit and Prometheus but because of their very well developse psychic they were able to control the Progenitor cells in a way that augmented their powers."

"So that girl, Khalia Sherstone, was infected with Progenitor cells as well," Kingsley said talking more to himself aloud. "If they already carried powers because of their highly developed psychic then she's not like any mutt or Pawn we've met." Pawns had been what Janus and the other two had been to Madame. They were only disposable pieces, even her own son. But the Brigaiders were highly skilled assassins who didn't only have powers of their own because of their overflowing psychic energy but also because of their cells were being merged with Progenitor cells. Diluted cells but nonetheless that came from the same virus.

"Nevertheless if we find your daughter we'll be sure to find some answers to everything that's been going on," Janus said shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Ah yes," Kingsley said with a smirk. "My oldest daughter which I happen to not remember about but you do." He dropped the sarcasm, "I've got one daughter, Janus, and that's Alice. Cecilia died when she gave birth so there's no way I have another."

"Not even a bastard child?" Janus poked around.

"Not even!" Kingsley puffed hurt by the comment. "My one and only love was Cecilia. I will never feel for a woman the way I felt for my dearest Ceci."

"You're too old to be talking that way," Janus said with a snort.

"Laugh all you want but I'm telling ya kid, you're smoking something good and hard to be imaging things like my 'other daughter'," Kingsley added.

"I'm telling you Kingsley it's not what it seems," Janus said stopping and looking up. "Something's made us forget. And my gut's telling me that this Celia might just be the person we've been looking for."

They heard a giggling from behind them which made them turn. There standing not even a few feet away was a slim figure cloaked in crimson red with their head hooded. "You are _correcto~_" her female voice pronounced with a fake Spanish accent. "You wanna find her, right?" she said with a sweet voice but the matureness in it still quite tangible. She turned her back on them while turning her head to see them, "I'll take you to her but how about we talk first?"

* * *

Celia was getting tired of walking through the red light district. No matter where they were they didn't find even the slightest clue about were Allen Walker could be. After passing through the 'Rabbit's Bottom' and plenty of other places, they had finally decided to rest and eat something.

Celia, however, didn't have much of an appetite and instead played around with her food while the two talked. Finally bored out of her wits she pushed her chair back and stood up.

"Where are you going?" Kanda's question seemed more like a demand to sit down.

"To get some air." Her voice clearly delivered her annoyance at the whole situation. "I'm getting tired of smelling brothels plastered with the stench of smoke and sex."

"She must be tired," Johnny said actually understanding. "We might want to find a place to stay for the night. It's already going to be midnight."

"Don't be bothered by her," Kanda said drinking more beer. "She's just frustrated."

"How can you tell?" Johnny asked.

Kanda remained quiet driking more beer as an excuse. How _did_ he know? Throughout the whole trip neither of them had spoken a word to each other except to bicker. Whatever told him what was Celia's problem was just there, in the back of his head. It was as if he could faintly sense her in his mind or something. "I just can, I guess."

Celia walked about kicking a tin can around. She was so tired of looking. She was tired of strip joints and the useless asking around bars. She was so tired of looking for him. Whoever Allen was, he better be worth this much trouble. Gritting her teeth she kicked the tin can hard enough to send it flying out into the distance. Following its trail she saw that it hit someone lightly on their feet.

"Sorry," she apologized walking by them as if nothing.

"Well, haven't you grown." The man's voice called once their were seperated a good distance. The awkward comment made her turn around and notice the man more intently. He was taller than her, about a head and a half more. And his hair was short and slightly spiked and was a very dark color. But that was only from the back view.

"What did you say?" Celia murmured.

The man turned revealing a very well groomed man; he didn't seem the type to be walking around in the red light district. His simple white shirt and black trousers weren't much of a giveaway but strands of his black hair fell over his face and seemed to slightly cradle those eyes that stared at her own. They were a dark purple nothing like her own. Hers were light and bright but his were dark and empty.

He smirked, "That's true. You've never actually met me but I've been watching you ever since you went back to the Black Order that first time." He walked closer towards her making her step back.

"W-What are you talking about!?" she bellowed to him trying to remain strong.

"Madame told us that you've lost your memory again. Willingly this time, she said. However, we have no use for an empty vessel. Madame's body is getting quite damaged by the days and soon she'll need a new one to carry on her heart." He thought about it and snickered, "Imagine. You'd be just like that boy you're looking for. What was his name? Allen Walker?"

"You know him!?" she yelled stunned that she might get somet information. "Where is he?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know. I mean, if I did I'd be rendered to tell you where he is since he's a good shot at linking your memory back."

She scoffed, "Sad to disappoint you but that boy has nothing to do with me. Never has, most likely never will."

"Oh but you know him. You've even cared for him," he said in a very satisfied voice. "I can't link up the whole chain but I can at least link some empty holes in your memory."

"What are yo-" but her snarky comment suddenly escaped in a gasp along with all the air in her lungs. It was like he had just passed through her and squeezed them clean. But he couldn't have for he stood there in the same place with a sardonic grin on his face.

"You're weak, Celia." His voice seemed to be buzzing because of the ringing in her ears. "You shouldn't pick fights with people who can't even fight on par with. Because I'm not one of them." He placed a hand on forehead, "I can't dive into your mind; I'm not Neptis. However, I can scratch the itch and at least link some to make you see the reality of things."

"W-What are you talking about?!" she managed a hiss.

"You're reality, sweetheart. The connection between you and that Noah boy."

Scarpped flashbacks came to her mind. Of her meeting a white-haired boy who had a very peculiar scar on his left eye. He was so childish and so_ cute_. Nobody else's faces were clear enough to see except his. Turning over another flashback came by of her feeling a deadly blow to the heart. She had felt and seen how that same boy laid there in his cold tomb, dead. Another one rolled by and this time she saw herself crying and holding onto that same boy.

She could even hear the words that escaped her lips that time. _"I saw you die. I saw you die every night since then. I was so worried. I thought...for sure..."_

Even though she new they were just images she could feel his warm hand on her hand assuring her along with his words, _"Sorry for making you worry so much."_

She blinked away just as the hand retracted from her. She didn't know why but tears ran down her face and she was unable to stop them. Those images had been so vivid and felt so real too. Almost as if they were actual memories.

"They're real," the man spoke as if reading her thoughts. "Those are memories. Broken off links that had been connected back to your chain. They are your memories."

"So...Allen..." the name now meant more. It wasn't just a boy they were looking for that she didn't know. It was the name of a very dear friend of hers. A friend that she had forgotten. "Allen..." she couldn't stop the tears that came with his name and remembrance. She fell to her knees in weakness and wept with her face in her hands.

"Now I'll be taking you to Madame..." he said reaching out a hand towards her but before he could even reach her he was forced to jump back to avoid the sword that instead plunged right into the asphalt.

Celia felt someone pick her up by her forearm. "You're such a burden sometimes." That voice...

"Kanda..." she mumbled the name trying hard to regain her consciousness back.

"Well, you're her accomodator, right?" the man spoke with a glee. Kanda passed Celia's limb body to Johnny and only glared at the man. The man snickered, "Never mind then. Nevertheless I have manners to follow. My name is Deon. Deon Fairchild."

"Why the hell would I want to know?" Kanda said poinitng Mugen at him.

"Because it's my policy," Deon said with a grin and before Kanda could attack Deon's form had disappeared. _No_, he thought. _He didn't move fast enough. _It was more like he'd seen mist cross in front of him. Then he heard him talk again; this time from behind him with a venomous sting to it, "I just can't kill someone without introducing myself."

* * *

**Sorry i'm so slow with updates you guys D: I've been super bsy with school so the updates might be kinda slow for a while. But here's something to keep you guys preoccupied while you wait~**

**Hope you like it~ Please review!**


	3. Chain Three

**Chapter three you guys! Woo hoo~! **

**I'm soooooo sorry that I'm uploading so slow :( I have so much crap going on and I hate it XP **

**But let's get to this :D Since I lost track of reviews and all those things I'll just jump right into the story~ ;) I know there's a lot so thank you all !**

* * *

**Chain Three: Long-Lost Comrades**

* * *

**Five minutes before...**

"Where could she have gone to?" Johnny asked while getting out of the umpteeth bar they had visited.

"She's lost somewhere, more than likely," Kanda answered not putting much attention to the absence of Celia.

"I still wonder though," Johnny said walking a bit ahead of Kanda. "Why would the Order or more like Kanda and Celia come help me look for Allen? If they find out...won't it be pretty bad for both of you?" But before Kanda could even consider to answer such question the woman dressed outside waving a sign in advertisement caught Johnny while leaping away.

Immediately Kanda drew out Mugen seeing as the bear opened its mouth wide to reveal dangerous teeth. "Akuma!?" Johnny exclaimed looking up. But before the Akuma could even come close Kanda had pierced it through its mouth with Mugen and plunged it against a wall.

The Akuma began rambling then about how he should've just stayed and enjoyed his last days in peace. That Akuma where being born even faster than before and that nothing the Order did would stop them.

"The Eye of Dante will forsee it all!" it bellowed with a cackle. "That weapon the Order created will turn against them and become their greatest theat yet! Just like that useless Second Exorcist! She will, will, will, will, will! The corruption has not ended! It has just begun! She should've just stayed dead! You have all chosen hell!"

Kanda, already tired of its stupid babbling and slashed the Akuma away letting it explode and spreading the poisonous gas about. Afterwards Kanda couldn't keep himself from telling the things he said. "But now...this regret won't let me die peacefully."

He picked up the luggage going ahead while saying that it was dangerous to stay too long where the gas was. Johnny was about to say something but stopped himself when Kanda stopped in his tracks. "Kanda?"

Kanda couldn't hear him. A warning bell was ringing in the back of his head. A very loud bell too. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. That's when he realized what and turned on his heels and began running were his gut told him. Johnny tried his best to keep up.

Panting, he somehow managed to get out words. "W-What's the matter?!"

"It's the damn brat!" he called turning a corner and finding the place from where the ringing became louder turning into an annoying buzz.

He could see Celia from his place. But what was brought more to his attention was her tears falling down her face. Then out of nowhere she collapsed to her knees weeping into her hands. He ran towards her leaving Johnny behind. The moment he saw the man before her reach out with his hand Kanda drew out Mugen and missing the guy for an inch before he leaped away.

Kanda scolwed, "You're such a burden sometimes." He pulled her up by her forearm bringing her mind half back.

"Kanda...?" her words sounded oblivious, like she didn't know where or who she was all over again. Kanda turned to the man when he talked and apparently introduced himself. "Why the hell would I want to know?" he asked cockily.

"Because it's my policy." That's when Deon disappeared through him and appeared right behind the two. "I just can't kill someone without introducing myself." Kanda pushed Celia away but in returned recieved the cut on his left shoulder. Seeing the blood fly out of thin air made Celia's eyes widen and brought her back completely as she dropped to the floor looking up.

To her left and very close was Deon holding the dagger he used on Kanda who was now some feet away to the left. The wound healed slowly but healed completely nonetheless.

"I'm surprised," Deon exclaimed with glee twisting the dagger in his hand. "You can still regenerate even with your body like that?"

"..." Celia's mumbled with unaudible to anyone but herself. Hearing a swift of air from her lungs made Deon turn to face her.

"Don't worry. I haven't forgotten about you, Celia." He came up to her, "Let's take you back peacefully."

"Bastard!" she exclaimed this time using the floor as a propellor and kicking Deon right on the chin sending him flying back crashing into a building's wall and lying in the rubbles. She got up wipping the remaining tears from her face. She stood defiantly with a hand on her hips and a thumb pointing at her chest, "Nobody but me hurts my property! You'll pay for daring to insult me!"

"Property!" Kanda bellowed back at her completely mad.

"Celia-san, watch out!" Johnny called but Celia was far ahead of her. She jumped out of the way just as a flash of lighting came her way and struck creating a dust cloud. Landing on her knee she came up watching the cloud disperse. There, with his fist on the floor, was a boy of around their age with his right gloved-hand in a fist on the ground still crackling with electricity.

"Damn it, Fairchild!" the boy scowled getting up and shaking his hand making electricity go away in sparks like shaking of water. "Do your damn job right." The boy was blonde with short hair to his nape and piercing cerulean eyes. He wore a vest over bare skin, a pair of black pants, a white scarf around his neck, and a black hat tilted to one side. The gloves he wore were fingerless and had a jewel stuck on the outside.

He move his hat out of his eyes and surveyed the situation. He smirkd when his eyes landed on Celia. She only scowled with her lips tightly closed. "What?" he said with a mischievous smirk. "Scared?"

She scoffed taking a hand and placing it on Xiao's hilt.

"You can't activate it," Deon's voice came from behind her. He gained conscious after hitting the building. "You yourself are Innocence. Without your accomodator's say so you are as useless as a rag doll." Her eyes were turned to her left along with her ears as she listened. Deon spit out blood but he only had scratches. He gritted his teeth at seeing the boy, "What's your beef here, Couga?"

"Came to see you were doing your job," Couga answered with pleasure at making him pissed off. He smirked that creepy way once again with his eyes on Celia. "Yet Deon's right, sweetheart. You're just another weapon that needs to be triggered to function. And if he can't come into contact with you, you'll remain useless."

She turned to see him with dull eyes. Her head lowered but a smirk spread across her face. "You're right. I do need to be activated. Even someone like me knows that. But-" she pulled Xiao out making the blade shine as it became unsheathed. Finally out of its prison, the rapier shone with its old glow. She disappeared with speed and clashed against Couga who held up both his hands before his face to block off the blow with electricity. Pushing her back she jumped where she could see both of them. She held Xiao proudly and could feel power flowing from it towards her own body. "What you didn't realize was that I got activated a long time ago."

Deon chuckled at his obvliviousness. He turned to Kanda who stood opposite of the girl from a distance. Kanda did his best to ignore it but the pain coming from his forearms was throbbing slowly yet horribly. Was it the activation of that brat causing it?

Deon turned back to Couga, "Deal with her. I'll deal with the pretty boy."

"Great," Couga said moving away from Kanda and towards Celia. "I get to play with sweetheart before taking her in."

Deon moved closer to Kanda and standing in front of him, "I'll be your opponent."

Celia stood with Xiao awaiting Couga's attack that, as she presumed, came hastily as their battle unleashed. Deon only sighed at watching the boy let his emotions take over him. Yet again that was what made him so damn powerful as well.

"Well, Kanda Yu was it?" he asked scratching the back of his head. "It's meaningless fighting you but if you're getting in our way of getting her then it's a must."

"You're not taking her anywhere," Kanda called charging at him. Strangely enough he went right through him; again, it seemed as if he were nothing but mist.

"You don't get it," Deon said turning to face Kanda's back and almost dealing a blow to his side with the dagger making him step back. "We're not normal."

"I kinda of noticed that," Celia noticed when Couga made the same comment. "Normal people don't turn to mist or can charge electricity in their bodies. Just what are you guys?"

"Experiments take a lot of trial and error, Kanda Yu," Deon said avoiding easily the attacks that Kanda came with. At times he would go through him and slash him from behind earning a second's reprise before the Exorcist began attacking again. "Alexander Marcus Evernly, was the doctor who continued Arthur Evernly's work. He was the one who attempted the fusion of Progenitor and Innocence. They wanted to make the perfect weapon, all for the sake of the holy war. So in other words you could say..." He disappeared spreading his mist form about and finally materializing to his sid and driving the dagger deep in Kanda's abdomen before pulling away and kicking him away into a building. He came close to the rubble as Kanda came up and his body regenerated even slower than before by itself. Kanda was starting to get exhausted from regenerating so much but he couldn't stop himself. "You could actually say that we were the pilot group for his experiments."

"Pilot study?" Celia couldn't think much of it for Couga sent a lighting her way making her jump back.

Couga smirked, "Yep. We were Marcus' first guinea pigs before you, your sister, and that ignorant brat came along. We came from the pilot study down at that tower."

"You were prisoners in that place," Kanda murmured to himself.

"We were orphans from Wish House," Deon said raising his dagger and twisting it around. "We got sent to the Water Prison for different reasons but after it all came down we all escaped with the same goal."

"We'll make them pay for making us like this," Couga said raising his hand and making it cackle madly with sparks. "They made monsters out of us. Now these monsters they created themselves will come back and destroy them."

"There's no point in doing that!" Celia bellowed angrily at him standing with Xiao down. "You'll only destroy yourselves by seeking revenge!"

"You should really begin questioning on whose side you should be, Celia," Couga called seriously leaving the mocking smirk and making his lips a stern line. "You are a monster too." She gritted her teeth and glared down at him, her grip on Xiao getting tighter. "You were created by Marcus as well. You may be Innocence right now but in your veins still runs Progenitor. You are us." Her grip got tighter and blue fire ignited around her whole hand. "You don't understand the graveness of their sins. They stole away the lives of innocent children to use for their own purpose." Couga glared at her with those piercing eyes. "You should be the one who wants to destroy the Order more than anyone of us!"

**"Shut up!"** Celia bellowed making the same blue fire ignite in her other hand and on both her feet. Before Couga's eyes she moved in a blur and was before him in an instant before she took momentum to swing Xiao right at him. Being caught of guard he took the full blow crashing down a wall. "You talk too much," she mumbled to herself feeling a strange surge of power overwhelming her. "I am nothing like you."

Couga's insane cackling resounded in her ears as he came out with his hands sparking at his laughter. "Yes you are! You have no regard of others! You only consume and consume power! Soon enough you'll drain them all dry!" He came clashing at her while she counterattack. Each time they clashed together the sparks of both electricity and blue fire went flying about in great scales. Couga kept talking maniacally through the whole clashing, "You are the Eye of Dante! You are the Innocence itself! You will suck the life out before you even know it!"

"I said shut up!" she called slashing him away again making him falter.

But that nasty smirk never went away. Why was he so happy?! "You're an idiot." Couga got up and suddenly saw that Couga's injuries that she had done so far had regenerated.

"Progenitor."

"You're all healed up too," Couga said pointing out the obvious. "But it's not because of the virus." The lighting disappeared from his hands as he raised one and pointed behind him. "Like I said-" Celia followed his finger and saw behind her. She gasped at the seen and almost dropped down ashamed. "You will suck the life right out of them."

"Feels eerie having your life force being sucked in such a way, isn't it?" Deon asked Kanda who fell to a knee from exhaustion. He noticed it before and thought it had been the regeneration but it was different. He noticed it now this wasn't anything close to that. Even with Mugen's Third Taboo it didn't feel this way. Deon smirked and pointed a thumb behind him were Couga and Celia stood staring back at them. "Celia's doing that to you."

"W-What...?"

"No... I can't be..." she mumbled to herself and snapped back at Couga. "You're lying!"

"Don't believe me? Fine, keep fighting with the blue flame and see if he's alive afterwards," Couga called charging at her again. She avoided as many as she could before kicking him away. Taking a good grip of the rapier she came with great speed before him and raised the blade. Ready to strike she suddenly felt a surge power traveling fast in her body. She felt so alive, so powerful; all her senses, skills, and prowess were honed by this energy. But that strength wasn't hers. Her eyes widened and her hands locked in the air.

Seeing the moment's hesitation Couga smirks maliciously. Raising a crackling hand he snaps the rapier off and with the other reaches for her throat.

"Believe me now!?" he bellowed releasing the mad energy that was encaged inside of him into Celia's body. The agonizing screams that came from her were mixed with the mad crackling of the electricity that travelled through her body. Soon both noises quieted and her body went limp; the hands that held onto Couga's grip fell lifelessly to her sides.

"C-Celia-san..." Johnny murmured in complete astonishment.

"...Celia..." Kanda mumbled to himself. Couga released his grip throwing her semi conscious body to the floor.

"Whew," Deon whistled surprised. He stood facing both sides caring not for Kanda who had gotten so weak from the energy consumption from Celia. "Hope you didn't kill her, Couga."

"Nah," Couga said with a snort. He came over to Celia and placed himself over her kneeled on one knee. His gaze turned uncaring as he turned her face towards him. Her mouth was slightly parted were she strived to get the next breath. Her eyes were half closed and dull but were still alive. _She _was still alive. The mischievous grin returned, "But I think taking her unconscious might be much better." He raised his hand as it cackled with more electricity, "Just a little will do."

But before he could land his desicive blow a great mouthful of teeth bit down tightly on his electrified arm and threw him away. Couga landed safely on his feet and crouched down inspecting his arm. The injury itself was gruesome; he could see the bone but it quickly started regenerating on its own.

Taking a step forth, a white sabertooth stood protectively over Celia. "You bad pussy cat," Couga said with a smirk.

"Oh wow," Deon said with a sigh. His eyes narrowed as he took a leap back barely avoiding the large scale blade that plunged at the asphalt beneath his feet. Landing close to Couga, Deon only snorted as a cloaked figure stood beside Kanda with its weaponized arm exposed. "Daddy's here too."

Kanda's eyes widened. That weapon, he'd seen it before plenty of times. "Everlott," he mumbled under his breath.

"What're they here for?" Couga said with a questioning look in his eyes.

Deon ignored his question, "It was Janus-kun, right?"

The sabertooth walked past Celia and was suddenly engulfed in a dark form. The great feline stood in its hind legs as it started transfiguring. At least it stood tall and the darkness disappeared to reveal Janus with the same crimson cloak. Janus glared down at Couga.

Couga's expression changed into a snarky smirk at Janus' face, "Bad kitty's mine!" He raised his arm and send out a cackling lightning towards Janus. But the strike never hit its mark. Instead it swayed inches before Janus and turned to the right. All they're eyes landed on the third cloaked figure that alike Kingsley was hooded.

The lightning that had swayed was now cackling in her extended arm. That's when Kanda noticed that it wasn't that the lightning got the arm, the arm got the lightning. The reason was clear now that the electricity settled off from the limb. The arm itself was silvery and shiny; not only that it was...metal.

"It's her power," Kingsley whispered to Kanda as he faked helping him up. "She can turn her whole being into the strongest metal."

"She used herself as a lightning rod," Kanda said standing alright by himself.

"Well, well, well," Couga scoffed. "Is that you Gazelle?"

The hand that was used as the rod retreated to her hood and brought it down to reveal short wavish hair of a blonde color that was brought back by a hairband, strands hanging on her forehead. Her eyes were in a glare towards Couga with the fierce emerald orbs staring daggers at the two.

"Gazelle Avorth," Deon said getting a smoke from his pocket and lighting it up with a match. "You escaped?"

"Not just me," Gazelle called coming around to stand beside Janus but never taking her piercing gaze from the lot.

"So the misterious underground group was your doing," Deon questioned a bit interested. "What's it's name? Novatia."

"What stupidity!?" Couga called barking away in mocking laughter. "So the petty ones that survived joined together?!" He wiped away the tears that formed in his eyes. "That figures, though. The weak gathering together to protect themselves against the real predators."

"You may be with Evangelique Evernly but it doesn't mean you are stronger," Gazelle said not moving an inch. "It is not the powers we have that make us strong."

"Again with that crap!" Couga called angry at last as both his arms crackled in electricity.

"That's as far as you will go."

Both, Deon and Couga, turned about phase to see the familiar person whom they knew. Gazelle, Janus, and Kingsley glanced up along with Kanda and Johnny. Gazelle placed an arm out stopping Janus from charging into the person who had spoken.

"Get down here! You lousy bitch!" Janus cussed at the person.

Khalia only stared lethargically back at him. And as if he didn't exist she glanced towards Gazelle, "You are from Novatia. Mistress doesn't have any issue with you're fellowship." She turned to Deon and Couga, "I believe their order was to capture Celia Everlott."

"You'll take her over my dead body!" Janus bellowed throwing away Gazelle's arm and charging forth but before he could reach Mugen's sheath had struck his neck bringing him down to the ground. He'd recover his energy and had stopped him from attacking.

"It seems that Kanda Yu understands the situation just like Gazelle Avorth does," Khalia called coming down to Deon and Couga. "But don't dispair." She turned towards the two, "You have new orders: retreat."

"What?!" Couga called mad. "I can just kill them all right now! Even Gazelle!"

"Don't fight it, Couga," Deon said blowing a cloud of smoke. "Orders are orders." He eyed Kanda with a smirk and threw the cigarette to the ground stomping on it, "Let's leave." He snapped his fingers and a black mist absorbed them and vanished them into the night.

Gazelle sighed and crossed her arms, "That was a close one."

"Wasn't it?" Kingsley said with a chuckle.

"Damn Kanda! You'll regr-" but before Janus could finish his sentence Kanda had already ran past them all towards Celia. When he picked her upper body up it amazed him what he saw. Her injuries and burns were all gone. The only sign that she had been hurt was her audible fatigue that came with the shallows breaths she was giving.

"She needs to rest," Gazelle said with a smile and a hand on Kanda's shoulder. She turned to Johnny who was coming over on a run, "Do you have a hotel reserved?"

"Y-Yeah!" Johnny called amazed at what had just happen in the past few minutes. "It's this way!"

"We need to get her to rest," Kingsley called with a hand on his hip.

"Who were those guys?" Johnny asked confused as Kanda picked up Celia's now unconscious body. His eyes glared down at Janus waiting for an answer.

"Those were my mother's assasins, the Brigaiders." That's when his expression turned to a glower. "And Khalia's they're captain."

He gritted his teeth, "She's the one who killed Celia."

* * *

**Sorry for the longest wait ever! D: I've been so busy right now! But I'll try to get something out else too~!**

**Please review!**


	4. Chain Four

**How long has it been? (-w-u) I am sooooo sorrrrryyyy. School has been so stressful. Specially with all the damn applications and whatnot. But now that I have that out of the way I can finally continue writing for you guys! **

**Cheers for that~~! \('w')/**

**Now to appreciate the great people who've waited so long after reviewing~!  
-PrincessWindNight  
-And Almathia**

**Thank you guys for the reviews on the last chapter that seems to be so long ago :)**

**Well withtout further ado, let's get to what you've been waiting for!**

* * *

**Fourth Chain: Linking Chains**

* * *

"Would you stop that already," Gazelle snapped at Janus for the umpteenth time standing near the door. Him tapping his foot endlessly annoyed her since it began when they got there.

Not long before dawn hit them, they -Kanda carrying the unconscious Celia, Johnny, Kingsley and Janus, and Gazelle- had arrived at the hotel that originally was for three people only. So, of course, the damn room would be quite crowded. Then again that wasn't what was causing Janus' anxiety.

Since they got there, which was a good five hours ago, Celia had not given a single sign of waking up. She hadn't stirred or anything and her breathing had become quiet and nearly unhearable. It was as if she'd gone hybernating, like a greazly bear.

"Well!" Janus snapped back at Gazelle, standing from his place near the window. "When's this comrade of yours getting here to help Celia?"

"Calm down, Janus," Kingsley said from another corner of the room. As calm and collected as ever, Kingsley didn't show an ounce of the concern that he really felt for the girl that was supposed to be his 'daughter'. "Her body's been through physical hell after having taken Couga's Black Lightning. It has the same magnitude as a striking lightning bolt. It's a miracle in itself that she's still alive."

"Is that some ability of the virus inside Celia-san, too?" Johnny asked, out of the blue, from his place opposite of Janus and nearest to the staircase into the rooms upstairs. Cheap as the room itself was, and how cramped as well, it had two floors yet only one room and the other a very small common room.

"You can say that the virus had some work in it," Kingsley said gesturing at Johnny with his hand. "Janus and Gazelle are pretty sturdy to normal attacks. However another viral or Innocence attack can greatly hurt them. Specially me since I'm quite older than them."

"Then again," Gazelle added turning to Johnny. "It also helped greatly that Celia was fused with Kanda's Innocence. The 'holy power of God' is pretty damn hard to kill. I've seen it at work plenty of times before." She turned to Janus, "I got to North America just before the disaster happened three months ago."

This comment made Janus regain his patience and sat back down with his arms on his knees and his hands together as if in prayer to whoever would hear.

Kingsley's eyes left the floor and gazed up the stairs into the second floor room. The only member of their clique missing was the hot-headed Exorcist who hadn't left that room. The oldest man wondered greatly, had Kanda not heard what Janus told him, would he still be there by the girl's side?

* * *

Kanda sat next to the bed were the brunette now slept soundlessly. And by soundlessly he meant just that. Her breath was so quiet that he actually had to check at times for a pulse.

He sat propping his elbows on the bed's edge and holding his hands together on something as they rested on his forehead. His seeming glare never left her peaceful face. She seemed to be completely out. As if she were...

_Kanda picked up Janus by his collarbone almost lifting him clear off the ground. His glare was more intense than ever and his teeth clenched in a snarl. _

_"What did you say?" he barely got out as a mere gnarl._

_"Khalia-" Janus said grabbing Kanda's single hand with both of his to prevent the Japanese Exorcist from fully strangling him. "That time at the North America Branch."_

_Kanda's eyes widened remembering that time. The time when he lost _him._ He let Janus down slowly but let go forcefully of his collar. "What happened." It wasn't a question, he was demanding an answer._

_"Just before you disappeared inside of Allen Walker's Ark Gate, we managed to get Khalia off Celia's back enough for her to escape." Janus didn't know how, but just after seeing this 'Celia' for the first time. Memories connected with feelings and those feelings turned into the words he spoke to the Exorcist. Janus gritted his teeth, "We told her to run but the dumbass wouldn't leave. She wanted to stay and fight for you all. And Khalia merely stood behind her and without having to move a finger she did it. She-" he couldn't handle remembering because remembering now was just like reliving it again. It was just more painful. "Khalia stabbed Celia right through her chest with Mugen." Janus looked down and away after saying it._

_Kanda just stood there aghast by what he'd said. Celia...had died. Once before she had lost her life at the hands of those people she'd been trying to safe of the torture that the virus was for them all. That explained why nobody else had seen her after he disappeared. It must have been then, too, when Celia, having an already close connection to Innocence, fused with Mugen and became a part of Kanda's Innocence. _

_However, all this didn't explain how everybody, with the exception of him, didn't remember her._

_"She died wanting to help you all." Janus gulped away the threathening tears and took something off his wrist, holding it out to Kanda. "She cared very much for you Exorcists of the Black Order. And she never stopped caring." Kanda held out his open hand up right as Janus placed a small bracelet there. It was _the_ bracelet that Kanda had made for Celia back when they were little in the Order. The one of his promise to her to always protect her. The same promise that she had made back then, he was first born with Alma was with them, when she gave him a bracelet of the same kind. "Not even when she died."_

Holding his hands tighter he couldn't believe that Celia had died only to be reborn from his blood and Innocence only to remember nothing about herself or others. What bothered him most, though, was what Janus had said about her death. That she didn't stop caring. It made him feel responsible for her being killed. She had been there because of him and because of the Order.

It made him think that her feelings only made her more vulnerable to other people. She was killed because she just cared too damn much abouth others before herself.

"But at the same time, that kindness is what makes her so powerful, even now."

Kanda's head snapped up at the unexpecting voice that came from the doorway. A boy, no older than sixteen, stood in the doorway. Coming in the room, Kanda noticed his skin of a soft mocha color and his dark hair short and disheveled with a small plait over his left shoulder with red and green beads with a couple of gray and brown falcon feathers.

He appraoched up to Celia's sleeping body he kneeled before it and started down at her. No, not stare, he thought. Kanda was sure he couldn't be staring at her because his eyes were the same shade of opaque grayness that Marie had. This boy was blind. Then how did he walk so swiftly about the room? Even more find Celia and be directly looking at her?

"If you could please leave, Mister Exorcist," the boy said with the same pasive voice as before. Reaching out with his hands, they hovered over Celia's body and his palms eerily began to glow a silver gray. "I must only interect with Celia-sama's energy if I want to figure what is wrong with her."

"Kanda." At hearing his name, he turned to the doorway again to see Gazelle and Kingsley. Getting the hint, he stood up and walked over to the door and out towards the common room.

"Who is that?" Kanda asked straight out to anybody who would answer.

"His name is Pavel RedFern," Gazelle answered first. "He's part of Novatia. One of the first members and is very knowledgeable about the effects of the virus on humans."

"But Celia's not human anymore," Janus added.

"No but there is a possibility that that can be fixed," Kingsley answered as well.

"How?" Johnny voiced his curiosity to the crowd.

"There are ways," Gazelle simply said. "And if someone can find out how, it's Pavel."

"How long will it take?" Kanda asked sitting down and holding Mugen close.

"Can't say," Kingsley said shaking his head. "All we can do is wait."

Dawn had come and soon enough dusk followed suit. After hours of waiting, the crowd turned towards the stairs as they heard the sound of footsteps. Pavel came down the stairs with no help of the railing and only looked downwards. Just as he got down to the main floor he turned up to them.

"She will be fine now," Pavel said simply.

"What was wrong with her?" Janus asked hastingly. Johnny, Gazelle, and Kingsley all looked as worried but only Kanda was calmly staring at the floor awaiting the answers.

"Innocence gains power from its Accomodator. In Celia-sama's case, the stored energy she had only increased when she was activated. Not using it was causing her body to overcharge and Couga's energy mixed with hers and caused an error in her system. Her sleeping for so long was the rebooting," he explained going over to a table and serving himself some water. Taking a gulp gave them a moment to think of what he said.

"You talk about Celia-san as if she were some kind of machine," Johnny voiced what most were probably thinking.

Putting the glass down, Pavel spoke again, "That's because the closest thing that I can relate her problems to is a machine. She operates as one very much so. She has a source of power and a very distinctive limit line."

"Limit line?" Janus asked.

"The same one that you and I and Kingsley have," Gazelle said to him without glancing at him. "All those infected have it. It's the line that we cannot cross with our powers unless we want to risk our lives."

"Although, what surprised me the most was that she already broke her limit line and created a new limit only to break it again," Pavel said getting their attention. Seeing this, he continued, "Looking through her mind and found instances of life threathening occurances. Because of the virus she wouldn't be able to die but she would reboot after a deadly strike."

"You say that you 'looked'..." Kanda voiced his statement and only let it float over the crowd.

"The virus took away Pavel's sight but gave him the ability to 'see' people's hearts," Gazelle said.

"I can only recieve weak signals from nonliving things and barely any from animals. People, however, have distinctive auras. Strong emotions give me signals from their hearts," Pavel explained. "The emotions I recieved from Celia-sama are related to memories that she recently obtained."

"Memories?" Kanda mumbled standing up.

Pavel nodded, "A white-haired boy with a scar over his left eye. And also of another boy much younger than the other, spiked brown hair and a scar across the bridge of his nose."

"Allen!" Johnny exlcaimed.

"And the other?" Kingsley asked. Janus only looked over his shoulder to Kanda who gripped Mugen even tighter.

"Is there a reason why she's lost her memories?" Gazelle asked him.

"There is, actually," Pavel said catching Kanda's attention. "It's called Link Breakage."

"Link Breakage?" Janus repeated

"Someone with the same power as mine went into Celia-sama's heart and broke her memories apart," Pavel said slowly.

"How is that possible?" Johnny asked.

"Memories are like chains stores inside of hearts. The person who did the Link Breakage dwelled into her heart and manually broke the links of the chains. Now, inside Celia-sama's heart, there is nothing but broken pieces of memories," Pavel finished.

"Can they be returned to normal?" Kingsley asked.

"They can but it'll be hard," Pavel explained. "She'll have to be given pieces of her past for her to remember with. Old friends and caretakers could work very much. It'll be like any person with amnesia, they'll be slowly restored with the help of her loved ones."

"How did she remember about Allen, though?" Johnny asked.

"That was Deon's doing," Kingsley said plain out. "He purposefully did that to make her unstable."

Pavel nodded once, "Deon would be able to do that. All prototyped have a small diluted portion of the original Progenitor in us. Perhaps he, too, gained the abilities that Cecilia-sama and I had."

"So," Kingsley spoke before them all. "I was right. Cecilia, she had the eye ability of 'heart seeing'. Which means that if Celia is Cecilia's and my child then Celia might have it too."

"Yes, there is the possibility," Pavel said.

"So, what will happen with Celia?" Johnny asked.

"She needs to rest for the day. She needs noursihment too." He gasped silently, "Which reminds me Celia-sama is quiet hungry."

Kanda's eyes widened, "She's awake?"

"Did I forget to mention that?" Pavel asked sheepishly lethargic. Kanda clicked his tongue and stood up, walking past them and heading up the stairs. "How impatient."

"You should've told him that sooner," Kingsley said with a sly grin. "Mr. Grouch has quite a temper and it only worsens when its about Celia."

"I knew that," Pavel said outright.

"And you kept quiet?" Gazelle asked.

"I did because I knew that Kanda-san would be one of those triggers that could restore her memories," Pavel said glancing up at the stairs. "But there's no use for him if he goes up there with the intention of bringing her memories back. If he acts towards her the way he used to then that will work much better. Out of the many people I saw that could bring her back to who she used to be, Kanda-san was the one who appealed the most. If someone can start linking the chains back together, it's him."

* * *

Kanda opened the door and went in quietly in fear that she might have gone back to sleep. However, he saw the short bundle that sat on the bed edge facing the window with the sheets over her head like a hood. Walking around the bed he noticed that she was facing out at the setting sun while caressing something on her left wrist.

"Celia?" he whispered making her turn to him. That's when she finally saw her eyes; she was silently crying. And on her left wrist was the purple bead bracelet. He had left it here, and she found it.

"Oh, it's you, Bakanda," she called out facing quickly away while wiping the tears from her face.

Kanda's eyes widened at what she said, "What did you call me?"

"The same fucking name that Al-chan called you, Bakanda," she called looking at him with puffy red eyes.

"You remember?" he asked sitting down on the chair looking at her.

"I remember you back when I returned to the Order, when you were all distant but close at the same time," Celia said repeating words that came out of nowhere. Words that came out of the memories that were linking because of the bracelet. "The mission at Mater. Then when we started searching for General Tiedoll. Daisya's death and when that Noah attacked me. When we found the General afterwards. Of the train and how I began to hurt...here." She motioned to her chest with her left hand. "Then the Noah's Ark and how I almost died. Then you saved me..." She turned to him, "You knew that Janus was impersonating me. You knew it wasn't me."

"Is that all you remember?" he asked gently touching her shoulder.

She shook her head, "I remember all that but by pieces. As if I were watching something with bits and pieces missing. But I remember most of it. The Level 4's attack on headquarters. Our move to the one one. When we went for Timothy. And then the attack on the North America Branch." She looked up at the ceiling trying to remember. "The Earl attacked it but so did Gaia's people. But then, who was the one that attacked too? The person that you and I didn't want to hurt?"

"Alma..." Kanda mumbled.

She nodded at the name, "That was his name, yes. But I remember thinking 'how could two people feel the same way about the same person?'. And I was looking down at you with him and I knew that-" tears built up in her eyes unbeknowst to her. "-I could never win."

"You could never what?" he said.

"Alma...he was too important to you." She spoke her mind without restraint. The early rebooting causing her to freely say what she thought with no filter to stop any. "And you were too important to deny you that happiness. So, I gave up. I saw you two leave through the Ark that Allen created." Her left hand landed on the red mark on her chest were her scar would be. "I heard them telling me to run. To safe myself. But I couldn't because I wanted to see you all safe. I wanted to make sure that you were safe. I was going to run after that but then I felt a cold blade. Was it Mugen?" She shook her head, "I think it was and Khalia put it through me. And then, I died."

There. Just like that she said it. Kanda couldn't believe that she accepted her death so easily and it took him much more.

"You said you gave up," Kanda whispered.

"Yes," she mumbled glancing down. "I knew that you loved Alma. Even now," she glanced up to look at him. Cobalt met amethyst and Kanda noticed the glazed over look on them and the tears rolling down her cheeks. She was hurting because of him. "I know you still do. You love Alma. And Alma loved you too. I couldn't destroy that. That's why I gave up. I love you but I wouldn't stand the pain of being the reason why you suffered again. You and Alma were already seperated twice before, now that you had the chance to be together I was the only thing in the way. So I just...gave you up."

Suddenly she felt a hand pat her head. Looking at him she noticed the raw grimace on his lips. Lifting his hand, he lowered it to her neck and brought their lips together. Her eyes widened as the tears fell. The kiss wasn't harsh or forceful. It was simply gentle and appeasing and...sorrowful. Parting, they stared at each other's eyes. She caressed his cheek, "Why are you sad?"

"You didn't need to become a scapegoat from all this. It was my fight," he said closing his eyes and placing his forehead on hers. "You didn't have to get hurt. That was the one thing I didn't want to happen. Not to you."

"You cared?" she asked.

"You dumbass," he said opening his eyes. "Since long ago I''ve cared about you much more than just caring. I've worried about you. You've always been a kid, even now."

Suddenly, Celia's cheeks puffed in anger and pushed Kanda away making him fall over together with the chair. She crossed her arms before her chest, "I'm not a damn brat, Bakanda!"

A vein popping on his temple he came up in anger, "You damn midget!"

She stood up on the bed and grabbed the pillow, "Go and bring me something to eat. I'm famished."

"You little bi-" but before Kanda could finish he got a pillow thrown at his face.

Celia smirked, "It wasn't a question, Bakanda."

"You little-"

Suddenly all heads turned up when a ruckus broke out upstairs and all of them went up the stairs with Johnny and Janus on the lead. Immediately, they saw that Celia was swiftly escaping th grasps of Kanda who was trying to decapitate her with Mugen unsheath. Johnny grabbed Kanda quickly while Celia hid away behind Kingsley making weird faces at him.

"Kanda, please, calm down," Johnny exclaimed. In no time, Johnny got him to settle down.

"Come," Kingsley said to the others. "Let's get some dinner and let Celia rest."

"And bring me some pasta!" Celia chipped in.

"Sure, sure," Kingsley said patting her head twice and shooing everyone out with Kanda following behind him.

"And Yu," Kanda turned at Celia who caught him by surprise when she got on her tippy toes and pecking his lips. Stepping back she had that snarky smirk on, the same one from before all this happened, "I care for you too. More than just caring." She pushed him away and out, "Please get me some pasta~!" Closing the door, she leaned against the door and held her chest with her hands. Kanda only stood on the otherside and looked over his shoulder to smile slyly. He then turned to go with the others.

Celia went over and laid on the bed. She had her hands on her chest as more and more chains linked together. She remember a lot of things and who she used to be as well. But that would only add up to who she was now. She would only look foward. Pavel told her that she was Innocence, an Apocryphos, but that there was a way to change her back to a human. A normal human Accomodator again. No virus, no Apocryphos.

She would know how later but for now she needed to rest. Her hands on her chest remained still feeling that warm feeling. Yeah, she remembered this feeling. This feeling of happiness because of someone else. It was called...

* * *

**About three months later and this happens?! I know it's not much but please bare with me. I'll be updating more on this story and others soon too so wait for that too. **

**Please review~**


	5. Chain Five

**What!? Another update so soon!**

**Yes, people! I have found the time to write my heart out finally! **

**Now to thank people:**

**-Thanks to PrincessWindNight for the review and the story favs. :)**

**And now to the story! XD**

* * *

**Chain Five: The Immortal One**

* * *

In the lurking shadows of the Order, a small figured hid inbetween those shadows lurking its way past the guards. Soon enough it reached its destination, an empty room that used to be of use to someone.

Opening the door, the small figure went in and scanned around. It was Celia's old room. The figure looked about searching for whatever it wanted frantically.

"It has to be here..." he mumbled to himself while rummaging through the things.

It had been a very strange occurance what happened to some of them that afternoon. Slowly, the memories that had been purpusefully erased by whoever had done the LInk Breakage were coming back to all. Just as bits and pieces but they were returning. And his, Asutsuo's, were the most vivid memories of all.

He's forgotten so much of his life. His 'mommy' Celia and his 'daddy' Kanda, the parents he knew since birth. And his real mother, Alice, who had awoken just after the North American Branch incident. Those things, those details, had been erased by a hand who was playing from the outside.

And that woman, Alice, who called herself his real mother was very much different. That woman was turning into something gruesome in the inside. To be truthful, she was starting to scare him. He noticed just from the simple fact that her eyes were no longer the bright red that they used to be. Now they were a bright emeral and her lips would form the most frightening smile ever. That wasn't his mother; that wasn't Alice.

Finally, feeling what he was looking for at the bottom of a drawer, he put it away in his boot and walked quietly towards the door. Putting a hand on the knob, he stopped cold as he saw the knob turning by itself. Hurrying to hide under the bed, Asutsuo hid well as the door opened.

Seeing a white dress told him immediately who had come through the door. It was Alice, who was now looking around the room. When she saw naught what she was looking for, she quickly left closing the door behind herself rather forcefully.

Asutsuo sighed and crawled out from his hiding spot. Standing up he noticed that the doorknob he had intended to use was now brutally squashed. Alice, she had grabbed onto the knob so hard that she dented it. What the hell was she looking for that she got so mad at not finding it?

"Well, well, well." His blood ran cold hearing the taunting voice that was once so sweet and tender. Turning about he saw Alice's pale face and emerald eyes glaring down at him. He stumbled back but stumbled at hitting the wall of the small room. "I thought I told you to keep away from this room."

"I-I..." Asutsuo stuttered unable to form any words in the presence of the ice voice that spoke to him. Out of safety, he pulled out the dagger that was hidden in his boot. The dagger that was hidden in the room and that belonged to his mommy Celia. He stood in stance ready to strike at Alice.

"Oho~" Alice cooed placing a delicate hand on her lips. She seemed amused at the mere attempt of protecting himself that the boy was putting up. "Are you threatening your own mother?"

"You..." Asutsuo cleared his throat. "You're not my mother!" he bellowed loud enough for it to echo in the room. "My mother died! You're just a monster! You took over mother's body because her soul's with mommy Celia! You're just that Innocence, Atrum!"

Alice's grin disappeared as a frown replaced it. Asutsuo's glare hardened as the emerald eyes stared her down. "You're mistaken boy. I'm not Atrum. That Innocence got transferred after Alice killed herself into you. No, not transferred. The Innocence came to be and took a human form. You are Atrum, Asutsuo."

Asutso struggled to hear this. He knew he wasn't normal. Normal boys didn't grow a year for every month of their life. He knew that but hearing it was a seperate matter. It troubled him to know that he wasn't normal like his mommy and daddy.

"You're a pure Innocence, an Apocryphos," Alice spoke as she came closer to the boy.

"If you're not the infected Atrum, then what are you?" Asutsuo questioned trying to make her stop.

She chuckled sending chills down his spine. "I, my dear boy, am what Arthur intended to create. A perfect weapon formed from the virus alone. I have no Innocence in me, I have no human genes in me. All I have is pure Progenitor and that makes me a first."

"What are you?!" he bellowed again.

"A spawn of Progenitor. I am a Dark Soul, not anything like those half-assed Lost Souls. I have completed my birth," she called spreading her arms about her. "And believe me when I say I will not be the last," she suddenly grabbed Asutsuo's head with her small hand. Asutsuo started stabbing at her arm but only managed to cause flesh wounds that didn't bleed. It was a monster. "But you won't be here to rat me out either."Suddenly Asutso felt a sharp spear pierce his head, a pounding and then everything went black.

* * *

"You're leaving?" Celia asked as on the umteenth bar that night they noticed that Janus and the others weren't there. Finding them outside, Celia knew exactly what was happening. Kanda and Johnny were inside talking to some bartender.

"We can't stay with you," Janus said to her. "We need to look for the Generals and destroy them along with my mother."

"Novatia's purpose is to stop the biological experiments with humans," Gazelle said to them. "We must move on and keep searching for them to stop this."

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Celia-sama," Pavel bowed slightly getting a wave from her.

"Don't worry though," Kingsley said with a smirk. "We'll be close by. If you're ever in trouble again, be sure we'll be close to help you."

"Yeah," Celia said with a small smile. "Thanks, King."

"I'm your father," Kingsley said with the same stupid smirk that changed to a sly one. "Forgive me for forgetting such important thing."

Celia shook her head, "Don't worry about it. I forgot all of you. It's only fair, I guess." Turning to go, the four started leaving. "Janus!" Janus turned at her callling. She raised her left wrist to show the bracelet, "Thanks for keeping it safe for me!"

Janus smirked and turned back while walking backwards, "Don't sweat it. I knew it was important to you. And I knew you'd come back to claim it!" Turning to again, the four diappeared into the shadows.

Celia slowly lowered her hand with a small smile on her face. It felt good to remember. She knew most of what happened. Parts of her past with Kanda and Alma were still blurry but the ones about the Order were getting clearer by the hours. The bracelet was a great help and Kanda was an even bigger one.

She turned to go inside the bar and at entering she noticed both Johnny and Kanda passed out.

"Miss, do you mind taking your friends? I'd like to close up shop," the elderly bartender as he gave her back the picture of Allen that Johnny was using to ask people about.

Taking the picture she pocketed it, "Sorry for the inconvinience and thanks for your help." Taking Johnny by his belt and throwing Kanda over her shoulder, she carried them to the hotel.

Sad to say that that was the last night they would stay at that harbor town. They had to watch what little money they had left. After cleaning them up and leaving them to rest, Celia found it right to take a rest of her own. Taking a shower and coming out refreshed, she turned to looked herself in the mirror. The cross-shaped scars on both wrists and shins were plainly visble and of a dark red color. The one on her bosom and the great scar between her breasts were another story. Both of those were the bright scarlet of blood.

Looking at the latter one she knew that something about it felt...odd. Not in a bad way, just odd. Placing her fingertips on it she remained silent and took deep breaths.

_Ba-dump._

A heartbeat. That thing...it seemed so vulnerable, so fragile. And it was her heart potruding from her chest. Was it because of her becoming Kanda's Innocence? She sighed and let her hand slip off.

Suddenly, the cool feeling of cold hands came to her shoulders. Startled, she spun around on her heels but found nobody behind her. Sighing and blaming it on her lack of sleep, she brushed her hair away while closing her eyes. Taking a big breath she looked up again and gasped.

A dark shadow stood before her, almost a complete silhouette of herself with red eyes. Speechless, Celia couldn't move a muscle much less scream for help. The shadow then silently mouthed words to Celia. Celia's brows furrowed, "W...What?"

The shadow raised its dark arm and pointed at Celia's 'heart' and mouthed the same words again. Lowering it slowly the shadow walked ahead right towards Celia. Passing through her body, Celia felt a grave chill all over her body. Hugging herself, she turned just to see the shadow disappear. Giving in to the grave fear she just got, her knees gave up on her. Hanging onto the basin, Celia tried taking deep breaths. It hadn't been the shadow itself that had scared her nor had it been the piercing red eyes. No, what scared her were the words that the shadow had told her.

_"Safe him...Safe him, my son."_

"Red eyes," she mumbled to herself holding onto the basin she pulled herself together and up. "Someone who looks like me." Finally getting strength to stand back up, her breathed calmed down. "My son..." then the thought hit her, "Asutsuo!" Running outside half dressed, with only shorts and a half buttoned blouse, she tripped and whatnot on the stairs as she headed outside into the freezing cold.

She could see her breath as clear as fog but that didn't stop her. The shadow, it looked exactly like her and Alice, and 'my son'. Something...something happened to him. And if it had come to her now then something had to have happened to Asutsuo.

Turning into a cobblestone street she found herself in something that looked like a small park. Running around, she followed her gut while trying to find the source of her grave uneasiness. Stopping near a tree to catch her breath, she heard a faint sound. Turning around she heard it resonate again through the leaves and the grass.

It was the chime of a small bell.

"It seems I had enough to hold them off," a serene male voice called to her.

Turning about, Celia found a man with long blonde hair and a bright green, right eye while his left was covered by an eyepatch. His wardrobe was fine, making him rather easy to mistake for a noble. What threw that guess out the window for her was the eyepatch itself. It was basically covering the right side of his face. And truthfully, it was simply off. He stared back at Celia coldly which freaked her out.

"At least Xele and Julian got her out," another young monotone voice called from beside the man. From his shadow, a little girl -no more than ten or eleven- with a cold stare came out into the light. There she stood with a pretty blue and black dress and with a coat that came over it all of a dark blue color and a white messenger bag over her shoulder. Her hair was long and also blonde but her eyes were a soft sky blue. In her hands there was a stuffed bunny that was almost her size that was of a sky blue color. It was nice and clean but it was missing it's right button eye. "This will make Mistress happy."

"We need to get her first, Xele," Julian pointed out to the child.

"True. Xele will help in all Xele can," she said putting the blue bunny in front of her body. "Jumbles." At saying it's name, the bunny's single eye glowed gold and by letting go of it, it grew over four times its normal size. Seeing as it moved on its own and seeing as it was a massive size, Celia gasped at it. Without an effort, Xele jumped up onto the oversized bunny's back. Taking Xiao's kwan dao form out, Celia stood there ready as Jumbles drew his hand upward to attack. It's a damn stuffed doll, she thought. But the moment the impact struck, her feet sunk down and she was barely able to withstand the attack. "Don't underestimate us," Xele called as Jumbles raised his paw once more to attack. Seeing this she quickly jumped out of the way towards a tree branch and saw as the doll's immense power crushed the cobblestone ground.

"It's powerful but way too slow," Celia mumbled out to herself in short breaths.

Jumbles turned towards Celia but didn't move. Instead, Xele came down from its back as the bunny returned to its normal size. Then she reached into her bag as she got a little striped cat doll, a cheetah. She held out the doll by one of his legs. "Grow bigger, Katty," she called and the cat's eyes glowed gold like Jumbles' before it. The cat grew bigger and bigger until it became the size of Janus' sabertooth metamorphosis. And before Celia could think anything about it, it had disappeared and she quickly felt a strong hit on the side of her abdomen that took her breath away.

Celia rolled away and looked up only to see the cheetah disappear again. When she felt a gust of wind come from her right side, she jumped away in time to avoid Katty's attack. Taking a stance with Xiao, Celia began to round about Katty as the cheetah did the same. "What is this..."

"Xele has the power," Julian called getting a fraction of Celia's attention from the threat in front of her. "Allows her to give life to inanimate objects. However, this is limited between the amount of energy and the number of objects she controls."

"A single one is more powerful than an army of tiny stuffed dolls," Celia whispered under her breath noticing that the cat had stopped. She turned to Julian, "Why are you telling me all this?"

Julian smirked surprisingly and glanced at Celia. "It would be awfully boring if we couldn't crush the minute hope that the prey holds."

"So, you're using Xele as a scare tactician?" Xele asked a bit colder than before which marked her annoyance with Julian.

"Indeed. But I chose you specifically because you like to play with your food before you actually eat it," Julian said with a chuckle.

And Xele did the unthinkable, a slight grin crept from the left side of her lips, "I do."

"Then go ahead and play," Julian called with a grand smirk on his face. This sent chills down Celia's spine. They were both psycopaths.

"Katty," Xele called motioning the cheetah forth. At her comand, it moved forth to strike at Celia. Celia stood ready to recieve the blow and then saw Katty spring up to launch at her.

Just then she heard the chimming of a bell and just inches away a great spear came down and stroke the doll onto the ground. Once stabbed there it burst into vibrant green flames. "Katerina!" Xele exclaimed in anguish as the doll burned away to smithereens. Julian came forth to stop the child from sprining towards the still smoldering flashes. Celia was caught off guard and kept staring at the flames that slowly dissipated.

Green flames. Where had she seen that before?

Better question yet, had she ever?

"No, no, no, no~" a cooed disagreement came from across them. Turning to the source they saw what seemed to be a girl with a white dress shredded from the skirt. White roses were held on her bossom and her neck. She stood barefoot before them as a grin was splattered on her scarlet lips. Her pale skin showed through her legs and arms while her face was obscured by the hood of a white cloak. But faintly, Celia could see the vividness of emerald eyes. When the girl took a step forth, she noticed how in her wake small flames ignited out of her footprints that lasted awhile and then disappeared. With every step, Celia could hear the chime ring again and again. "You cannot play with her like this. After all the great Ambrose is fairly wanted back with Master."

"Ambrose?" Celia whispered but something reverberated in her ears. It was the same chime that bounced across the walls of her skull. The bell and the name, both sounded very familiar and somehow seemed connected to each other.

"You're one of the Cardinals," Julian said a bit overly confident.

At this, the girl laughed sheepishly which suddenly made Celia gasp. That laugh she had heard before. It was there in her memories but they were so scrambled up she couldn't put two and two together even if she tried. Even so, she kept thinking who was it that laughed like that?

"Don't mock me, Brigaider," the girl said with a mock smile. When it turned grim, it sent chills down her spine, "I am not one of those controlled by the Black Order. I am one of Master's best soldiers that came back to life. I am Alyth, an emissary of Master's."

"An emissary?" Xele repeated weakly and immediately she backed off closer to Julian.

Right away, Celia noticed the fear in her once emotionless eyes. Xele was afraid of this Alyth but only after she proclaimed herself as one emissary. Emissaries are messengers, Celia thought. But messenger of what? And from whom to whom?

"But anyways," Alyth called throwing her arm at them and letting blood spray as it fell surrounding Celia and Alyth from Julian and Xele. "I can't have you hurting Ambrose." Flammabled blood, Celia recognized that from Kingsley like he did that one time trying to safe her. But those flames were red, not green.

"Tsk," Julian grimmaced as the green fire ignated from the blood. "We're retreating, Xele."

"But, if we don't go back with Celia then-" Xele said a little flusttered.

"We have to go back and inform Mistress about this," Julian said pulling Xele away. "An emissary from that piece of rubbish means this will be getting even worse." Heading away, they both disappeared leaving Alyth alone with Celia. The white-haired girl turned towards Celia, the flames still burning hot all around them. Meaning there was no escape.

"Now to deal with you," Alyth called turning towards Celia.

"I know you," Celia whispered. "Your voice, your laugh, everything about you. I can't remember well but I know I do. Everything is so familiar. All except..."

"My eyes?" Alyth asked. "Well, you're not quite off the mark, Evernly." With that, Alyth raised her hand to her hood and placed it down. Celia gasped at seeing the girl's face. "Not very far off, indeed," Altyh said with a creepy grin.

"A-Alice...?" Celia stuttered at seeing the strangely familiar face of her little twin sister. The white hair and pale skin was the same as always and yet those cold emerald eyes gave a completely different feel to the once innocent girl.

"Alice?" Alyth said tilting her head to the side as if pondering the name. Then she simply chuckled it off, "No, that was the old name of this body. Once the soul left and the body recuppurated enough, I was able to take over it. This isn't Alice Evernly's body anymore. She died the moment she stabbed that dagger into her own heart. 'To protect that which is hers with her on two hands', pft, how pathetic. Humans and their stupid idealogies."

"If you're not Alice, then what are you?" Celia asked talking slowly trying to process what the girl in front of her was trying to tell her.

"I am what was left," Alyth explained. "First, both Atrum and Alice left the body. Afterwards, all that was left was me. The original Innocence before it got infected by Progenitor and became Atrum."

"You were the one that made her act all hostile. It wasn't the infected Innocence," Celia said.

"Well yes and no. Wou see, Alexander figured that it was the infection that had spread that caused all mutations, whether those mutated were Innocence users or not, and that those were the cause of the unexpected psychosis that would happen to the infected. However, he couldn't quite predict what Progenitor's evolving stages would do to Innocence itself," Alyth called coming closer and closer with each sentence. "In the start he had infected Atrum's original form with Progenitor in order for it to keep you and your sister away from death's door. However, the virus evolved and along with it both your Innocence's. Progenitor evolved, after a good decade, into something completely new and with it a new Innocence was born with the unique characteristics of the new Progenitor virus."

"You were born from it," Celia said understanding. Atrum and Progenitor were the ones controlling Alice, just like Albus mixed with Progenitor were the ones who controlled Celia so many times. But after time, it adapted and mutated becoming one being. A new Innocence. "Are you like me?"

"Like you?" Alyth repeated seriously curious but then grinned. "If you mean that I'm an Innocence taking over a human body, then yes. For you see, you and Alice were left to live by God only to serve as vessels and work under the command of the one true warrior that He sent to safe this forsaken world."

"One true warrior?" Celia repeated. Then she remembered something that Komui had told her a long time ago about the Innocence that they all carried were part of a much greater piece. Celia gasped, "The Heart."

"The human known as Alice has served her purpose, and now she has become the vessel for me to serve Master. Soon enough, you too will fall under this state and then Master's Ambrose will return," Alyth said with a grimace. "We are Apocryphos that do not serve the Black Order but the Heart directly."

"W-Why are you telling me all this?" Celia said gulping down a nervousness.

"Because I was sent here to make Ambrose a conscious being. Even if you became purified because of that nosy woman, as Innocence you are still infected with the new virus. Ambrose is there and just needs a wake up call to start his awakening into this era," Alyth called and raised her hand towards Celia.

Celia tried to move but no matter what she told her body, it just wouldn't listen. It was simply struck down by sheer fear. Suddenly, she felt the cold of Alyth's palm upon her head. Even with Xiao in her hands, she was so paralyzed not by a fear of being hurt but by the fear that she might hurt Alice. No matter what Alyth said, Celia knew that Alice had to be somewhere in there.

"Now, there's some use to you while you're not on Master's side. That would be to search for Allen Walker," Alyth said as she covered her eyes with her hand and left Celia to hear her instead of seeing her. A heat was coming from Celia's forehead as well as from Alyth's hand. It was doing something to her because she could feel herself being swept away and losing her consciousness to the point where she couldn't quite process all well yet was still conscious enough to listen. "The Noah are still searching as well, and Master wishes not to have him caught as of now. The Black Order has already sent its hound out for the hunt, you must intercept him at all costs and protect Allen Walker. All others and all else is unrelated. These are your orders, Emissary Ambrose, the Immortal One. Do you understand them?"

Without knowing how, Celia answered but she knew she wasn't the one speaking because the voice came from somewhere else inside her. "I do," Could it be...Ambrose?

"Great, you have began to awaken at least. That's all I need," Alyth said and Celia suddenly felt a great pain through her head. As if something had pierced her straight through the skull. Alyth let go and Celia couldn't hold her own body as she fell to her knees letting go of Xiao. Falling straight down she fought like hell to stay away. But her eyelid were heavy as she was waching, sideways, as Alyth left and the green flames dissipated. Alyth waved her hand at Celia, not knowing or caring whether she could see her. "Ciao, partner. You and I will soon be reunited and we will fight this war like the old times. Just like seven thousand years ago and it will have the same ending.""

_"N...no..." _was the last thing that Celia thought of before she lost conscious and was lost to the darkness in her mind.

* * *

Inside the little hotel room where both Johnny and Kanda were laying unconscious due to the alcohol. Standing before the only Exorcist was a small shadow cloaked in black. Holding in his left hand was sword, which seemed well kept. The boy only stared at Kanda as he slept on the couch soundlessly except for his soft snores. Through the darkness a small bright orb could be seen slightly glowing a bright red. The glow barely showed the bottom half of the young boy's features.

The boy raised its hand and pointed it at the Exorcist. It stayed there for a couple of minutes but then the orb's light flickered for an instant and, as a result, the sword hesitantly lowered and disappeared into the boy's dark cloak as if becoming another material completely.

The boy remained stoic, but his lip trembled a bit showing the same hesitation as with the sword, "You were too well aware of your surroundings. It was impossible to deal with you if you were in such a defensive state. I could not change that, even when I waited most of the night because you didn't fall asleep." The boy nodded as if trying to convince someone else rather than himself, "Yes, that is what happened tonight." He looked up again at Kanda, "I couldn't kill you." He suddenly turned to leave and disappeared into the night after jumping out the window.

* * *

**Well? It's quite a lot.**

**I hope I didn't confuse you guys too much with what Alyth said. If you have any questions just PM me and I will try to clarify it.**

**Hope you can wait for the next chapter. And thanks for reading! :)**


	6. Chain Six

**Yay more of this! :D**

**I'm planning on working on the stories as much as I can so hopefully there'll be more updates on this one and the others as well. **

**I'll skip the thanks for today and start right away.**

* * *

**Chain Six: Ray of Hope**

* * *

Komui sighed just as he entered one of the interrogation rooms in the Order. Inside he found Noise Marie along with none other than his little sister, both sitting side by side awaiting to be questioned. The subject: Kanda Yu. Apparently, they both had gotten in trouble because they were suspecting of aiding Kanda in going after Johnny.

"Nii-san," Lenalee called seeing him come through the door.

"I know you guys said you don't know where Kanda-kun went," he said while walking towards them and talking a seat across from them.

"And we told the truth," Marie interrupted.

"I am not doubting you," Komui said straight out with a tender voice. "I just want to make sure that there are no surprises when the officials come to snoop around. So tell me once again, you do not know where Kanda-kun ran off to, right?"

"Right," Lenalee said with Marie nodding. "The only time we saw him was when he came back. We haven't seen him since."

"Alright," Komui said with a sigh, easily giving up. Even though it was Lenalee, Komui knew that they were lying. It was clear that they were in order to protect both Kanda and Johnny. Plus they also wanted someone to look for Allen on the outside. As Exorcists they couldn't become involve but two fugitives like Kanda and Johnny were another story. "Then there should be no problem but I still have to warn you both they won't be easy on you. They will try to make you incriminate yourselves. Right now, those who aide on betrayers are being persecuted without mercy. So watch your backs."

"We will," Marie agreed.

"Don't worry nii-san. We'll get through just fine," Lenalee said with a small smile.

He smiled back and reached out for her hand, "Just be careful."

Lenalee grasped his hand tighter and gave him a dazzling smile, the one she knew he loved, "We will."

Suddenly the door to the interrogation room was burst open taking their attention. Komui expected to find at its doorstep the officials but was surprised at seeing Reever at the door panting heavily.

"Reever?" Komui voiced his confused state towards him.

"Chief," Reever called hastily. "Come quick. Something's happened."

Arriving along with Reever, Komui's eyes widened. The room -Celia's room- was destroyed. Pieces of furniture tumbled over and the wallpaper torn. However, that wasn't what had disturbed him so. It was the body that hung from the wall adjacent to the door. A delicate rope made of what look like fine yet sturdy bark strings was tightly braided into a sturdy loop. The rope itself hung from high on the wall latched onto an arrow on the wall. The body that hung from the rope itself was stunningly horrifying.

Clara's face was petrified in fear as her hands were lifted and stretched our to either side of her head and pierced through with the same kind of arrows that held the rope in place. Her eyes were white showing that the body was dead for a while now.

"What in God's name..." Komui mumbled watching the scene horrified.

"Chief," Jiji called coming into the room. "There's more."

Entering Marcus' private quarters, they found him sitting by the foot of his bed hung by the bedpost with his palms pierced through with arrows onto his thighs. His mouth gaped open and his eyes were white. It didn't seem that he had put much of a struggle. He was severely sick after.

"Here as well," Cash called as she motioned them to Marcus' closet. Inside, hanging from the light bulb socket with the same kind of rope, was Lily. Her small hands were pierced on top of the roof with a single arrow above her head. Her mouth and eyes were both open and showed the same signs as the others.

"Lily," Jiji mumbled with a sob.

"Bagira too," Cash pointed out the black panther -Lily's animal parasite-type Innocence- lying dead on the floor from a clean shot with yet another arrow straight between the eyes.

"How is this possible?" Komui called coming up to see Lily's young lifeless body dangle from the ceiling. Nobody answered and it didn't surprise him. The only way to do this was to have access to the Order from the inside.

"The only casualties were Alexander Marcus, Lily, and Clara Hearst," Reever said, choking back his tears. "Finders are checking every corner of the castle for the intruders and for any other victims."

"What's the prognosis?" Komui asked still glancing at Lily.

"So far these three are the only ones and there seems to be no sign of the murderers," Reever said. Looking up, he couldn't help himself and a tiny tear escaped his eyes. "What coward would kill three defenseless people..."

"Someone who had a purpose in killing them," Komui said and turned to walk away from the scene as Finders arrived to take care of the forensics.

Reever followed close behind, "A purpose?"

"Only those connected to the Evernly family have been executed by whomever infiltrated the Order," Komui said seriously. Suddenly he stopped when a thought caught his attention. "Where are Alice-chan and Asutsuo-kun?"

"Alice and Asutsuo?" Reever repeated. "There haven't been found."

"Have their bodies?" Komui asked.

"Nothing at all," Reever clarified. "They're gone."

Komui grimaced and left towards his office. He knew that those murders were done with a purpose and if the Evernly family was the target then Alice, Asutsuo and even Celia were in danger. "Kanda needs to be found." He entered his office and went directly to the phone. Waiting a few tones, there was a response, "Yes, I'm glad to hear you're safe. Listen, I need for you to do me a favor."

* * *

Celia awoke abruptly in the middle of a crowded street. Sitting up, she saw the countless of people that walked past her. Some glaring down at her, some others simply ignoring her, thinking she was a homeless girl. Getting up, she struggled to put her thoughts together.

What had happened last night? Had she passed out cold while out for a walk?

"No," she whispered walking along with the crowd seeing where it took her. "I went out after putting Kanda and Johnny in the hotel. They were drunk off their asses. I came to take a stroll but someone came onto me." Numerous people bumped into her the moment she stopped on her tracks. Glancing down she tried remembering what had happened. "Those two, Xele and Julian, they ambushed me. Gaia's Brigaiders, they said they came after me. I couldn't keep up with the girl but then..." She couldn't quite put those thoughts together.

I heard someone laugh, she thought. Then it clicked and her eyes widened. "Alice..." She had seen Alice but she wasn't Alice. "No...Alyth." Celia touched her forehead were Alyth had touched. "She did something to me. I heard her voice in my head."

That's right. Before she fell unconscious and while hearing Alyth leave, she could hear Alyth's voice inside her head. A last heed. _"And don't worry Celia. Those pests that you have grown fond of will be disposed off as well. Just you wait."_

Those pests...she had grown fond off?

She gasped, "Kanda." She turned towards the hotel's direction and started running, pushing away the people as they groaned and yelled at her. She didn't care. Her friends, they were in trouble. "Kanda, Johnny." She hurried past the crowd into the nearby station. The two said something about moving onto the next city. It was still possible they were in town.

Running around and keeping her eye out wasn't helping much. Soon enough she found herself in a crowded place with people cheering and clapping. Glancing up she saw what all the commotion was about. A beautiful clown was performing tricks in the middle of the street. Lots of people had gathered around it and Celia wasn't surprised. The guy was good. Just watching him atop that ball balancing while juggling knives, pins, smaller balls and whatnot. It certainly amazed Celia and left her gaping.

Suddenly a chime reverberated in her skull. Grabbing her head she felt her brain pound heavily. "What the..." She turned this way and that trying to locate the source. A chime meant that Alyth was somewhere near. However, Celia was a bit doubtful now. The chime usual echoed in the vicinity leaving a feeling of dread in Celia. This one, however, didn't echo. This one sounded clear and only stayed in her head.

That sound...and the name. "Ambrose," she whispered.

At the call of the name she heard but an echoing chuckle and everything changed. The people around seemed to move slower that normal and their bodies were a bright luminescent color with an even brighter smoldering sphere in their chest. Not only that but there was a deep twilight that didn't seem to go away. Everything seemed different as is she were looking at the world through somebody else's eyes.

_"Did you call?" _Celia spun on her heels and gasped at the person she saw. Before her was a man no older than his mid-twenties. His skin was pale but his dark brown hair contrasted well with it. His hair only brushed his shoulders and a small plait went over his right shoulder wrapped with a skin tie with hawk feathers. His eyes were a bright emerald. A yin and yang piece hanging from his right ear of the same bright color. His clothing was something that struck Celia as odd as well. He only had black pants and a bare torso. Celia could clearly see on his left shoulder a grave scar that traveled all the way to his abdomen.

"Are you...Ambrose?" she spoke cautiously not knowing where she was treading.

"That is the name that I was baptized with by the Master. Ambrose, the Immortal One." This time his voice didn't resonate anymore like before. It seemed that now that she was completely submerged in what seemed to be his 'space' his voice didn't sound so far away now. "And you are Celia Everlott, right?"

"The name's Valentine," she corrected him. "Celia Valentine."

He raised his hands defensively but also half joking, "My bad, Miss Valentine."

"If you're Ambrose then you must be Alyth's partner," she said with quite certainty.

"Was." The sudden playfulness that she saw in his eyes vanished and was replaced by something that Celia could only describe as pure sorrow. "I am no longer. I doubt she even knows that. It would explain why she's still trying to look for me."

"She is," Celia agreed. "What did you mean that you no longer are?"

"I'm a Fallen One," he said and subconsciously his right hand landed on his shoulder caressing his scar. "You're an Accomodator. You must know what that means."

"I was but I still know what it means." Celia knew exactly what it meant. A Fallen One was when an Exorcist when against God's will and against the Innocence itself. The Innocence then would react swallowing the Exorcist whole until it destroyed them. In the end it was more suffering than anybody should handle. "But you're pure Innocence; an Apocryphos. How can you be a Fallen One?"

"I grew a conscious," he said simply. "I started questioning our Master. And it wasn't until I made a grave mistake that he decided to take away my privileges as a weapon of God."

"What did you do?" she felt a little bold at asking and could have regretted it hadn't it been for the small fact that he lived inside her conscious. She figured she had a right to meddle in.

"I refused to kill an innocent human being." He went in front of the clown and people, who were still moving oblivious to the half-naked man, and sat down cross-legged while propping his chin on his left hand. "He helped a Noah flee. He said he knew he did the right thing. That the Noah could change it all. For some reason, I believed him. The Master, not so much. Luckily, the human escaped along with the Noah. I was stripped of my powers and left here on Earth, alone and weakened. Fortunately enough, I was found by a human who looked after me and nourished me back to a more suitable state. Truth be told, I owe that girl a lot."

"Girl?" Celia said unconsciously.

"Yeah, she wasn't even grown. Maybe six years old. It was sad though because she was being subjected to cruel things in that tower," Ambrose said massaging his neck.

Celia's ears perked up, "Tower? What tower?"

"Mm..." Ambrose thought soundly. "Some sort of prison. What was the name...?" he snapped his fingers trying to remember.

"Wish House," Celia said more to herself.

"There you go. Wish House Tower. It was connected to that orphanage, wasn't it? Or at least that's what the girl told me." His gaze suddenly stared Celia down, "As a matter of fact, you look quite similar to her."

"Was the girl's name, by any chance...Cecilia?" Celia asked almost certain of her hunch.

"Yes," Ambrose answered. "Cecilia Hart."

Celia flinched, "Hart? Oh, yeah." That's right, Cecilia -Celia's mother- along with Alexander and Evangelique, her uncle and aunt, were all adopted by Arthur Evernly, from where they obtained their late surname. It'd make sense that Cecilia would have a different surname before the being taken away. "And you say she took care of you."

"That she did," Ambrose admitted. "And I owed her a great debt afterwards. Before I could repay it, though, some humans had taken me and experimented on me. Took away my weapons and placed me inside a human. I guess you were that human, Miss Valentine."

"What weapons did they take away?" Celia asked walking up to him not minding the crowd. As it turned out, it seemed that, as long as they were inside of this space, nobody could see them.

"My twin sabers, Albus and Atrum." Celia's eyes widened at the name of her old Innocence. Since she came back it turned out that Albus and her were now a joined being who's Accomodator was Kanda Yu.

"Ambrose," she said getting his attention. She lifted her left arm and summoned Albus; deed that, surprisingly, wasn't hard taking in mind that she wasn't activated to fight. The whitish saber strapped itself to her arm with the tubes that sucked on her blood.

"Albus?" Ambrose said surprised. "How can you have it?"

"The people who took your weapons implanted that Innocence in two nonliving fetuses, helping them live. Atrum with my sister and Albus with me," Celia explained. "Atrum has already become an independent Innocence in the form of my nephew, Asutsuo. Albus..."

"You're his Accomodator, huh?" Ambrose said at the noticeable.

"Not exactly," Celia clarified making Albus disappear. "Albus and I have become one now and are joined by blood to another Innocence and Accomodator."

Ambrose nodded at this new and unexpected information. One question was all he had about it, "Who?"

"An Exorcist of the Black Order. He's a Second Exorcist as well. His name's Kanda Yu," she told him.

"I see," he said with a sigh and stood up. "It's great having you as a vessel, Celia. You're an exemplary human being."

"Are you going to take over me like Alyth did with Alice?" she asked up front.

"Take over you? No, absolutely not," he assured her. "My views remain the same as seven thousand years ago. Because of that human, my hope in humanity was restored. Meeting you, it has only increased. So, tell you what. I've been looking for a way to get out and leave you alone; I want to become an Apocryphos again. And only you can help me with that."

"Let me get this straight," Celia said trying to process everything. "You want to go back to being an Apocryphos-"

"So I can help you," he put in.

"And as a result you'll be out of my body," Celia said thinking it through. "What about Albus? He's my Innocence."

"He's yours to keep. If I get my old powers back I can create myself new weapons," Ambrose assured her.

"And Asutsuo?"

"Nothing will happen to him either."

She thought about every possibility that this could end bad. "What's in it for me?"

Ambrose scoffed, "Wasn't everything you named enough already?"

"Getting you out of my body helps but doesn't eliminate the virus that's been fused with Albus," Celia explained. "To get rid of this inconvenience I have to pull the two apart."

"I am aware of that," Ambrose said. "And I know of one way to do that."

"How?" she asked. He walked around her and stood behind her holding her shoulders.

"First say you'll agree. If you help me become a free Apocryphos again, I'll let you in on a way to turn you human again."

Celia couldn't believe it. Her eyes followed Ambrose as he moved towards the clown who was still performing for the inconspicuous people. "If Albus and you separate, he'll return to being Innocence and you'll return to be your infected self."

"I'd still be dying then. Just like I was before," Celia said knowing it was too good to be true.

"For every wrong there is a right. Let the dead be your salvation, for you will be the salvation of the living. Let them right that wrong. Even now," he chuckled. "I can sense that you're still holding on to your humanity. Keep holding on because humans are the most stubborn species there is on this Earth."

Suddenly he disappeared in a blink of an eye. In another, everything went back to normal. The people noticed her and kids were telling her to move so they could see. She blinked and looked around to make sure everything was back to normal. In this, she caught a glance of Johnny on his knees before the clown.

"Johnny?" she said but couldn't be heard for both were on opposite sides of the spectacle. Then Kanda appeared from behind the crowd catching a panicked Johnny. Johnny left leaving Kanda to stare awkwardly at the clown. Celia wondered how Kanda couldn't see her when she was there in front of the clown he was staring at. Johnny, however, came back and dragged him away. "Ah, wait!" she called not wanting to get lost again. But the moment she stepped in the clown's range, a dark hole opened beneath them. Suddenly her senses kicked in and she knew what was happening. Akuma were attacking. Looking for a range of escape, she caught the glance of a little girl who was in its range and was to shocked to run away.

The Akuma had quickly emerge and was heading to chomp up the girl. Celia acted quickly and went after the girl catching her in her arms before the Akuma had them inside its jaws. With the upper half of her body inside, she cradled the girl against her body trying to keep as much harm from coming to her.

"Hold on!" Celia told her as she tried kicking on the outside to pry the mouth open. _"It's not working!"_ she thought holding the girl closer to her. _"I can't use Xiao while protecting the girl!" _She could then feel the Akuma beginning to swallow. _"Shit! No!"_

But then a huge explosion, that deafened her ears and blinded her eyes, took her by surprise. She felt someone holding her up against their arm.

"Hold on!" the same words she had told the girl were being said to her that she could barely hear above the ringing in her ears. Acting on instinct, she grabbed onto the person's neck, as he stopped holding her to attack, and held on as quick, consecutive explosions followed the first. She could feel the person quickly move about destroying the Akuma. Then she felt them all drop to the ground and felt a secure hand holding her in place again. She slowly opened her eyes and saw the one who had saved her and the girl.

She opened her mouth but nothing came out at seeing his face at first. It was hidden behind countless of paint. And his body wasn't quite the same either, even hidden through the baggy clothes of a clown. Had he grown? Countless questions came and went through her mind as she took in the scenario but only one was voiced.

"Allen...?"

* * *

**Well? what do you guys think? Liked it? I loved how Allen always comes to the rescue. Although Celia's no damsel in distress ;) **

**Well hoped you enjoyed it. Merry late Christmas guys! And hope you have a Happy New Year!**

**Hope to see you all in 2013! XD**


	7. Chain Seven

**Well this has been quite an interesting year so far. I've been having lots of fun so this is something that I'd thought would give you all. **

**First I'm giving thanks :)  
-PrincessWindNight for the review :D  
-minglingsing for the favorite :)  
-Lumihiutale89 for the favorite :)  
-plus to all of the people who fav and follow Not :One: of Us.**

**Thanks to all of you! Now let us begin~ x)**

* * *

**Chain Seven: Little Liar**

* * *

"Allen...?" the hushed words slipped from her lips as the Allen lowered them both. All other words wouldn't come out from beyond her throat. Many other words, that along with scraps of memories of him, yearned to be let out. In the end, though, they only surfaced as a murmur of his name and tears that were threatening to well in her eyes.

"Mister...Clown?" the little girl called a bit perplexed.

"I've shown you such a dreadful performance," he spoke and his voice was just like she remembered. "I'm sorry... Be careful on your way back home."

"It is you..." Celia mumbled finally able to speak. He spared her a glance that made her gasp slightly. His expression was emotionless but in those silver eyes even she could she the desperation, the sadness, and the always present childishness she possessed. _It's him,_ she thought to herself as joy overwhelmed her and a tear trickled down her cheek,_ It's really Allen._ The faintest of smiles tugged at the corner of his cheek and he raised his left hand, and just as he did with the girl, carefully wiped away the tear that stained her face.

"You have no idea..." he mumbled. "Just how glad I am to see you alive again."

_Again...?_ Before she even had time to ask, Johnny had unintentionally pushed her when he lurched himself at Allen in a hug. Almost falling back, Celia stood not far from them and heard as Kanda approached. While Johnny was crying his heart out, Allen interrupted him when he grabbed his arms and began to stand up. In an instant, Allen ran out wanting to make a run for it. "He's getting away!" she called and before she could move Kanda was already two steps ahead. He grabbed his hood pulling him back, tripped him and pinned him down on the gravel.

"Kanda!?" Celia exclaimed at his sudden ruthlessness towards Allen. Well, the ruthlessness had been sudden but not unexpected, so she couldn't intervene. After his ranting, Celia noticed how Allen simply remained quiet at Kanda's inquiry. This, quiet frankly, scared Celia a bit. Could he have changed...?

"Give me something to rub with," Kanda called out to Johnny and her beckoning with his hand outstretched.

"Huh? Ah..." Johnny searched through his bag of belongings and pulled out a towel. "Here."

Celia's head tilted a bit to the side, "What are you-"

But her question was cut short but loud screams from Allen, "It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!" Allen's body suddenly shifted, "Wait. Are you trying to peel the skin off my face, Bakanda!" And just as swiftly, Allen kicked Kanda on the back of the head.

"Beansprout," Kanda said in thought.

"It's Allen!" Allen exclaimed.

"It appears that somehow you haven't turned into 'the 14th' yet, huh?" Kanda said quite nonchalantly.

Celia looked directly at Allen's face that was now free of the clown's make up. And just like Kanda had said, he didn't seem to have turned into the 14th Noah. He was hanging on there. Celia collapsed to her knees beside Kanda and Allen heaving a great sigh of relief. "Thank goodness for that," she murmured along with her sigh.

"First, answer me one thing," Kanda began with haste. "That CROW...How come Howard Link died?" Immediately at hearing of Link's death, Allen's expression changed into confusion.

But before Celia could hear what else Kanda would have said, her ears starting ringing rather annoyingly. She held fast to her ears trying to figure out where the ringing was coming from but she just couldn't make it out. It wasn't until she saw separate wholes beginning to open beneath them. Scrambling to her feet, she backed up fast just as more Akuma began to appear.

_They're fast to catch up._ It was Ambrose, could he sense the Akuma like Celia could? Or were the intuitive feelings Ambrose's altogether? Celia looked up only to see Allen being hoarded upwards while Kanda and Johnny and her got away from its snapping jaw.

"Allen got-" Johnny started as Kanda carried him away from harm followed close by Celia.

"He'll be fine. With just something like that..." Kanda assured them and as if on cue, the Akuma that had trapped Allen inside it exploded due to Crown Clown. Undoing the ties on Mugen's form, Kanda activated it.

Drifting on her feet, Celia turned to Kanda, "Yu!" Forming Albus' saber, she stretched her free hand towards Kanda.

"Don't call me that!" he yelled back and joining his hand with hers just long enough for Innocence to activate.

"When!" Allen called to them as Celia left to fight the Akuma that kept emerging. "When did Link die!?" Kanda followed Celia suit going after the Akuma. "Please tell me! Link...!"

Johnny seemed almost relieved as he sprinted after them with their stuff in hand. That's when he exclaimed to Allen about Link being found dead after he had escaped from prison. Celia jumped up and attacked one of the Akuma destroying it and landing beside Allen and Kanda who were back to back. But the Akuma that began as a few were soon going to become a handful for more gates opened beneath them warning their arrival.

"This isn't good," Celia cursed under her breath. Suddenly a slight ringing came to her head. It hadn't been the annoying one that told her about the hoard of Akuma that attacked them. This signal was much more subtle but curiously enough more precise.

_Where?_ she thought as her intuition brought her to scan around the crowd. There were a lot of people clammed about them as if watching a show. Looking around she couldn't imagine what she would fine until the ringing came to a dead stop just as her eyes landed upon a certain male figure. Someone that, oddly enough, she recognized much too well.

Suddenly from behind she heard the swept that Crown Belt had made as it extended towards the roof of a Church. "Beansprout!" Celia heard Kanda called out to him. Celia turned around just barely to see Allen glance down at them...with regret.

"Allen, don't!" she exclaimed in vain only to see him take off through the rooftop. Right then, she felt the annoying ringing that had been relentlessly echoing in the back of her head, had begun to ebb away. Looking down, she noticed that the gates that the Akuma were using were beginning to close. _They're going after him, _she caught on. She could hear Kanda and Johnny arguing as Kanda was urging him to leave the luggage behind and go after Allen with him.

_I can't go yet though,_ Celia thought hearing the soft ringing that had so abruptly started and stopped. She turned towards the direction where it, once again, stopped. Taking a step away she was stopped by a hand that held firmly to her wrist.

"Come on!" Kanda yelled pulling her away.

"Wait!" she called pulling harder and making him turn to face her. "I'll catch up with you guys later. Don't worry, I'll find you. So go before you lose Allen."

"No way," he snarled.

"Please!" she called urgently needing to find out what was bothering her senses so much. Kanda fervently stared into her amethyst eyes with his own cobalt. He sighed and let go of her hand.

"I won't be able to help you this time," he warned her.

"I'll be fine," she said with a slight smile. "Now go before you lose him!" He nodded and followed behind Johnny who had left before them all. Turning to the crowd, Celia sidestepped and entered it through another opening. If she went head first in with the enemy it would be to obvious and stupid to say the least. Instead, she skirted around the crowd until she got near the place were the ringing seemed to secede while making Albus disappear from her hands. It was surprising to her how oblivious the crowd was of her presence when just seconds ago she was, also, fighting against the Akuma. It seemed as though the chase caught their attention rather then her escape.

Well, it wasn't like she was complaining anyways. The longer she remained unannounced, the better. Walking around, she clearly heard the people's whispers as they began talking about what had happened. Many stayed behind watching in astonishment as the pursuers left but nobody paid attention to her. She was lucky for that since her uniform was only covered by a coat that came just short of her white shorts. Although the fine embroidery of the clothes wasn't visible, one could hear the clinking of the ornaments. She clicked her tongue annoyed; she'd have to get rid of that coat sooner rather than later, it had already turned into a burden.

Slowly she caught a sense of what exactly she was feeling. Digging deep into pieces of her memory she noticed something familiar about this feeling. _"But from where?"_ she thought biting her bottom lip as she carefully scanned the crowd as she walked through it. Stopping she scanned more carefully until her eyes landed on a great monument that stood close to the entrance of the town and away from the street. Her sight stopped short towards two people, a young man sitting upon the foot of the monument itself and another, someone a bit older than the first, standing close to him with a lit cigarette in between his lips.

_"Use the Eye Dante's ability,__"_ Celia heard Ambrose, curiously enough, whispering in her mind.

"What are you talking about?" she mumbled trying not to be overheard. She wasn't going to be bothered by such pesky thing as why he was whispering to her. She slowly began to make her way towards the two all the while listening to Ambrose as he continued.

_"You've used it once. Back at the North American Branch incident, you used it's power as the 'Eye of Truth' to see what Alma Karma's true being was." _Again, Celia noticed Ambrose's whispering that only seemed to get quieter the more she approached the two men.

"How do I do that?" she hissed tired of the riddles. She had stopped a few feet away from the two but thanks to the crowd that was there, it was packed enough for them not to see her without looking thoroughly.

_"Just ask Albus! Tell him that you 'wish to see the truth'!"_ His hissing back got her to think that he seriously didn't want to be heard outside of her own head but who, pray tell, would be overhearing the voices inside _her_ head_. _

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She couldn't believe how the world outside suddenly quieted all at once. "I wish to see the truth, Albus. Let me see...what I cannot." A sudden pulse emanated from her whole body and she felt how the power itself channeled through her at it rose. A warmness came to her whole body and not knowing whether it worked or not she opted to open her eyes to try it out.

At opening her eyes, the light amethyst color that they were had been changed by a bright scarlet that shone by themselves. Scanning the people, she instantly noticed how the scenario had changed into the way she had seen it the first time she talked to Ambrose. Although the sky had remained as it was, the people were a still a translucent green with their soul hovering and burning brightly in the same color. Looking down at her own hands, she even noticed that she could see her own body being translucent but instead of green, what she could see of herself was all a very vibrant amethyst color, like her normal eyes. Then she directed her eyes towards the two that she had suspected. She gasped at seeing them. Like all the others they were translucent; the color of their aura and souls, though, was a dark purple, almost black. The oldest one, however, was the one that shocked her the most. His whole aura and soul were more black than purple but mixed in with the coal blackness were shades of bright amethyst. The same color that her own was.

"W-What the hell...?" she mumbled to herself feeling a bit of cold sweat crawling on her back. Blinking once was enough, plus the anxiousness, to get her eyes back to normal. A ball had formed in her throat preventing her from swallowing the great anxiety she had gotten all of a sudden.

_"Don't approach them..."_

Ambrose's sudden words of warning made Celia even more determined not to. Turning about, she planned to leave but the crowd trapped her inside its core. If she didn't get away she would most probably vomit from the nervousness that she was getting.

"I-I can't!" she hissed back, desperately trying to push people away to make her way out and back to the group. Back to the one person whom she knew would restore her sense of security. She needed to get back to Kanda. Now.

_"Try harder."_ Celia suddenly heard a sudden pull on her chest. She felt so distressed that it even her heart began to hurt. _"Get away!__ Now-"_ _**  
**_

A hand upon her shoulder was enough to render Ambrose's words to silence. Celia gasped snapping her head towards the hand's embodiment. It was the oldest man with the other; the one who's soul was as dark as the pits of hell but had tinges of amethyst like her own. She tried her best to appear nonchalant but inside she could have sworn that her heart stopped from the fear.

"Milady, you seem lost," his voice was pure silk to Celia's ears but all the same it sent shivers down her spine. "May I help you?"

She had to appear calm and collected. If not this could all go very wrong, very fast. She attempted to go for a sly smile, "I-I appreciate your concern but it is unnecessary." Well, so much for the calm and collected part.

"Well," he chuckled and Celia could almost feel her knees wanting to buckle. "Pardon my imprudence but I disagree with that...Miss Exorcist."

Celia gasped completely given away by her outfit of her profession. "What are you talking about?" Celia tried playing it smooth. If only she could get away.

"You are known by many names," the first man came up to Celia's vacant side as the second man began walking alongside Celia making her move away from the crowd. "Celia Evernly, the only heir of the Evernly Family. Celia Everlott, daughter of Cecilia Evernly and Kingsley Everlott. And Celia Valentine, one of the Exorcists of the Black Order. But right now you seem to be none of those and all at the same time. All because you remember but don't really know who you are at the same time."

Celia chuckled her nervousness away and began to slowly collect herself. "Well, I don't think there's anything escaping you gentlemen."

_"What the hell are you doing?!" _Celia could barely hear the harsh whisper that Ambrose gave her.

_"Buying time!"_ she hissed _"I need time to think of a way out."_

"I'm sorry to say that you have no way of escaping. So if I were you I wouldn't bother to concoct up a plan, Miss Valentine," the first said.

"What?!" she gasped at his knowledge.

_"Shit."_

"Would that be Albus?" he continued tilting his head inquiringly. "Or could that be another Innocence that lies within you?"

"Let me guess," Celia said keeping her cool. "You must be the infamous Noah clan."

"We've got a winner," the oldest called and stood before her as he blew out a cloud of smoke in her face. Waving it away, Celia noticed for the first time in a while that they had stopped. They were apart from the crowd and more secluded: an alleyway. "Now tell me little Miss Exorcist, I've got a question for you."

"Interrogation?" she asked bluntly with a scoff. "Wouldn't a dinner be required prior to this?"

"Funny one, you are," the other called while standing behind her. "But this is a simple question. Only one simple question we will ask. Just be truthful and depending on your answer-" His eyes glanced at the oldest one. Celia's eyes widened just as his right arm was engulfed in a dark skin, his fingers forming claws. "will we decide upon letting you go."

"Oh, so I'm your guys' hostage now, am I." Celia didn't dare give her back to the arms man. The dark aura he had given off still warned her of him yet if worse came to be then she would have to fight her way out. Then again, there was another option. "Alright then, ask your question."

A smile crept to the first's face. "Very well then. Celia Valentine, you are a child of blasphemy. Something that was not meant to be part of this world and yet you are here, alive. Many times has life attempted to correct a human mistake and just as many has it failed. Your existence causes nothing but harm to others and I'm sure that you are aware of this."

Celia ignored his comment there. She wasn't a mistake. She had proved it. She saved so many lives trying to amend for being such a burden to others. She wasn't a mistake. She was helping Allen and Kanda and Johnny. She wasn't the mistake.

"But you persevere to exist. Your sin was always the matter of your existence but now not even life itself can change your course. Now it is only a matter of choice. Time has begun to tick away and there are only two options for you. Either submit to your own sin and empower in its darkness completely changing your being and lose yourself in order to save others or save what is left of your will and act accordingly knowing that the consequences that will follow it will all be devastating for all you know." His words lingered in her ears and her mind. What was he talking about? Her eyes glazed over hearing him but a piece of her mind kept reminding her that this was a Noah she was talking to. She couldn't be taken over by a mere talk. "Leaving the chit chat aside, this is my question? When the time comes for the dark to claim you, would you embrace complete darkness to preserve the light of others?"

Darkness was something she was completely familiar with. It wasn't the absence of light; it was the absence of everything. Having no memory was a part of it. Losing something was losing it to the dark and letting its humble silence and bliss absorb you into submission. That feeling was the same exact one she felt when she died at Khalia's hands after leaving Alice behind. That dark place was so quite and peaceful. She would wholeheartedly admit that that darkness was bliss and that she wanted nothing more than to lose herself completely into that peacefulness.

Yet it was empty.

It was an empty place to lose yourself in. It would mean completely turning empty herself. Forgetting all and being one with the dark. Being not a being of the light and struggle with it but be a being of the dark and live at peace with it. For any, peace was better than to struggle but peace only meant giving up. She wasn't about to do that.

_"Even if it cost you your friends? Your family? Your love?"_

He had spoken again. Had he?

She didn't want the price to be them though. Not Allen and the guys. Not Alice, Janus and her father.

Not...Yu.

"I would." The answer came just like that. There was no thinking further; no more doubting. If it risked them then she would go to that darkness.

A sudden crackle of energy made her pivot on her heels and face the older man. A wide grin stretched on his face and now his other arm was also black skinned. With a sing song voice he called, "She's lying~" Her eyes widened in shock just as he stepped forth to strike.

"Move!" another voice called pushing her out of the way and letting him strike onto the concrete floor. Being pushed to the floor, Celia looked up to the one who interfered.

"Janus?" she whispered confused.

"Get out of here!" he called pulling her up from her forearm. His words came and went like nothing through her ears. Celia's mind had stopped working the moment that Tyki had spoken those two words.

_She's lying. _

She wasn't. She couldn't have possibly been lying. She knew her own mind, God damn it! And yet his words left him stupefied beyond belief. Some thing deep within her told her that **he** wasn't the one lying. If not him nor her, then who?

_"Move, Valentine!"_ Albus' yells in the back of her head brought her back with a jolt to the ground. Blinking twice she finally saw Janus fighting in his sabertooth form against the Noah, barely breaking even. He'd told her to run but how could she?

Standing up she took a leap towards the other Noah; towards the one that had spoken _in _her mind. Swiftly taking Xiao, she stroke out towards him but he avoided it letting the blade whistle against the empty space. Taking a stance, she saw as he landed just out of the alleyway.

"Augh!" Celia pivoted to see as Janus was thrown against the brick wall back to his human form, completely battered. Falling only to hit the cobblestone street, he could barely move anymore. Tyki stood there with both his hands transformed and ready to strike the ending blow.

Just as she was about to strike for him, the chiming of that familiar bell stopped her in her tracks. But instead of it giving her a threatening feeling, it was a much smoothing sound. That's when at its' second time around it came accompanied by a soothing voice.

_You and him are connected. Only you can stop him by stopping yourself. _

That voice... _Safe my, son._

"Ah," Tyki's faint groan came just as he grabbed his lower abdomen. Out of nowhere, he had felt the sharpest pain ever that overlapped the scars made by Allen Walker. He could feel the same ghastly pain that he had back then but only this time the wound bled. "What in the..." Looking up he saw that across from him almost at the end of the alleyway, there stood the small brunette girl bend double as if pain had gotten onto her as well.

It had happened instantaneously and, in the split second she had between Tyki striking and hearing the voice, she had turned Xiao's blade towards her and took the hit. Yeah, it hurt like a motherfu... but she would regenerate just like she had before. She was Innocence now and only one thing could destroy Innocence: Noah power.

The important thing was that she had stopped him from hurting Janus any further. She'd done it. Now, however, she was too debilitated from the force of the attack to take Janus and her away from the scene to somewhere safer.

_"You have me, remember?"_

"Huh?" And out of the blue, Celia could feel her body moving. Even through the intense pain of the stab, she was moving so swiftly that she leaped towards Janus' limb body and took him away like nothing. The pain was nothing compared to the euphoria that she felt from being able to move so well. "Ambrose?"

_"I'll explain later. For now getting away is our priority."_ Nodding, she let him control her body for as long as it took them to get to a reprieve from the attack.

* * *

"Well, what did just happen?" Wisely said comically as he walked nonchalantly towards Tyki as he still held his stomach. They both watched as the two escaped their grasp.

"This pain..." Tyki said removing his hand and finding the wound gone. He could have sworn that the feeling that he had gotten had been the same as when the Sword of Exorcism has pierced through his body. It was the same yet this made him bleed. How?

"It's because of her blood," Wisely said changing into his Noah clothes since there was absolutely no crowd to see them. Seeing this, Tyki did the same still mesmerized of the phenomenon. "And yours as well. Tell me, did you ever come physically in contact with her blood, in any way?"

Letting out a tired sigh, Tyki finally dropped his hand seeing as his wound had healed itself. Thinking back, he couldn't quite remember. Many things came to his mind about the Exorcists he had killed. He vaguely recalled her, though. "I suppose I have."

"You suppose?" Wisely inquired with a clear question mark drawn on his face.

"I think it was almost a year ago. Close to Barcelona, I had come across this small town. I killed a male Exorcist," he massaged his temple trying vigorously to remember. "And I think I came across a girl one too. I stroke her straight through the heart." He snapped his fingers, "It was her." He turned to Wisely, "I punctured her heart and she died. I saw her die, I saw the light go away in her eyes. She was dead for sure. Why is she here now?"

"Mmh," Wisely said quite intrigued. "Why indeed." Out of the dark of the dead end, one of the Earl's Gates opened as from it came Sheryl accompanied by Fiidora. "To what do we owe the pleasure?" Wisely asked as Tyki and him approached them.

"The Earl has called us," Fiidora said.

"For what?" Tyki asked.

"To discuss his wishes," Sheryl added. "Apparently, he was so pleased with the first that he wishes to accomplish a more perfect toy out of an Exorcist."

"Aren't the Thirds enough?" Tyki inquired again, pissed off enough to be dealing with this.

"He wants a real Exorcist as a weapon," Sheryl said turning to Wisely making him understand just what exactly he meant. At this, Wisely grinned and entered the Ark along the others.

He had spoken to the Earl about this beforehand. Ever since Celia Valentine's return from whatever Limbo she had landed on, three different parties have gone through loops to get to her. The Order had her in their claws but fortunately enough, the brat was smart enough to escape. Evangelique Evernly was desperately after her, was what he concluded. After all why else would she have used that Alyth, the hidden Ace she had? And last there was them, who, on the Earl's whim, were after the human-turned-Innocence being for pure amusement. Or that was what the Earl seemed to let on at least. Even now he doubted the Earl's motives. However all the three parties had a goal in common respective to Celia Valentine.

One way or another, all three wanted her with one objective in mind: to turn the girl into the massive weapon of destruction that she truly was.

* * *

**I AM SO SORRRRYYYYYY T-T **

**I know that I havent updated at all since probably the beginning of the year but I've been so busy with school. Specially since I'm graduating in like 2 months already. **

**Well I wanted to five you guys this before I got any more busy. Hope you liked it and please review! And don't worry if I don't upload so much, I will never forget the stories and you guys most of all. I will finish this and all that I still have pending! :D**


	8. Chain Eight

**Well I guess apologies are a given every time I write now since I'm having less time and much less inspiration to write too. But do not worry, slow but sure. Right now, I'll try to finish the stories that can end. But as DGM chapters are being updated, it'll be really hard. But no giving up for me, no sir :)**

**Now there's a lot of people to thank not only reviewers but also story and author favs. So thank you all :D**

**Please enjoy!**

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**Chain Eight: What Needs to be Done**

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_Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap._

"Um..." Johnny's soft mumble hadn't reached Kanda's ears. Instead, the Exorcist sat on the hotel's couch tapping his foot annoyingly upon the old, wooden floors.

It had turned half past eleven by then; almost six and a half hours since they caught Allen. Six and a half hours of Celia missing with no sign of her whatsoever. Even when Kanda felt the urge to go and search for her, he knew that leaving Johnny and Allen alone was a very bad idea. Unprotected, both were a clear target for anybody.

So instead he waited. Impatiently, he waited.

"Kanda," Johnny finally spoke loud enough to get his attention. Turning his way, Kanda only wore the same expressive scowl that he always did. Taking a gulp, Johnny continued, "Do you think Celia-san's alright?"

"Tch." His response didn't really answer his question but it answered another one: clearly Kanda was concerned.

"You shouldn't worry," Johnny said confidently. "Knowing her, Celia-san's probably lost somewhere but she'll eventually find her way back. And if not, we can always look for her once Allen awakes."

That was the thing. There was no telling when the beansprout would wake up. And he he didn't within the next 12 hours, he would go out to look for her.

_Knock. Knock._ Hearing that Kanda sprinted to his feet unconsciously doing so and brought the door open. What he saw left him aghast.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Bochan," Celia's voice was weak and slurred but her physical impediment didn't stop her from carrying Janus' unconscious body to the hotel. With one of his arms over her shoulders, the way they looked would make it seemed they crossed land and sea to get there. They're bodies covered with blood and heavy cuts and bruises, it was surprising to him that she hadn't fainted like he did. "But I had some business to take care of." She snorted as if suddenly remembering a really bad yet funny joke. "Talking about taking care of," her body slumped to her knees, and having no more strength to hold onto him, she let go of Janus and let his body fall to her side. "Could you guys get him to a bed or something so he can sleep? He kinda needs it."

"Oh goodness," Johnny gasped but didn't inquire. Instead, he did what Celia had asked of them.

A silence fell between the two then. It was sort of awkward since Celia was in the middle of the hallway on her knees but it wasn't like she could move. "Hey, Bochan, wanna do me a favor? I can't get up?"

"Get up yourself," he snapped. But his threat wasn't as posing when he didn't move away from her or shut the door in her face.

"I can't, didn't you hear?" she said with a wry smile. But not even her childish charm could crack his temper right now. Giving up on that, she heaved a sigh because she knew exactly what he wanted to hear from her. "I lost my vitality because I spent too much time away from you."

"And?"

She couldn't believe him. Giving another sigh, she continued, "And I won't do it again."

"Exactly," he said condescendingly. But even with that he didn't move; what more did he want?

Celia sighed, this time out of tiredness. "The Noah...they almost got me. If it weren't for Janus, I would most probably be dead. I get it. I won't disobey you anymore." She sighed and started to take her clothes off.

"W-What are you!?" Kanda exclaim shoving her tattered jacket back at her covering her half undressed body.

"I can't stay with these clothes," Celia said. "My wounds may be healed but they're still not closed. If they get infected I'll be out much longer than needed."

"Fine! But do it in the bathroom!" Kanda called pushing her inside and slamming the door behind her.

Celia cringed a bit at the slam of the door but didn't move for a bit and instead fell slowly to her knees leaning against the wall. Strangely enough, she'd done that on purpose. She caught on that Kanda would fluster easily with any kind of female nudity. The reason for making him chase her away was simply because she had no more strength to move. All her vitality had been lost in a single blow. The blow she dealt to herself because in all reality she wasn't just feeling her own but also the pain that she had inflicted on Tyki Mikk.

She heaved a sigh trying to get herself back together. After several minutes she mustered the strength to crawl to the shower and bath her wound clean. Taking longer than expected she dressed up into a spare change of clothes she had. Although it didn't have the uniform's sturdiness it'd have to do.

Walking out of the bathroom, she noticed the first odd thing of the night. The boy sleeping in one of the beds, the boy with white hair, was he the one they were looking for so much?

"What took you so long?" Ignoring Kanda's sarcastic comment, Celia approached the boy's bed.

"What's the matter, Celia-san?" Johnny asked curious as well when Celia came close enough and gently touched the boy's cheek with the back of her fingers.

A glazed look took over her eyes, as she stared deeply into the boy's sleeping face. "Is this him? Is this Allen?"

The two went silent for a moment and stared at each other before Johnny answered her question. "Yes, Celia-san. This is him."

"I see," she muttered barely audibly as she continued to caress the boys face.

Kanda couldn't take the silence and he couldn't take how she was so affectionate towards a boy that only days ago she claimed didn't know the slightest about. Clicking his tongue, he deadpanned his comment, "What happened to not knowing crap about your past?"

"The day Gazelle and the others came to us, I remembered bits and pieces like I told you. But even if I remembered, I somehow felt like they weren't my own memories. It was like watching the live of someone who looks like me but isn't me through my own eyes," she heaved a sighed finding it hard to describe. She bit her bottom lip, "I don't expect you to understand because frankly I don't understand it myself. I just know that the only memories that I _feel_ are mine are the ones with you and him."

Even when she referred to Kanda, her gaze never left Allen's sleeping form. That, for some reason, majorly angered him. But even before he was able to voice that anger, the three heard a grunt from the bed next to Allen's. Finally taking her attention off from him, Celia faced Janus as he attempted to get up from his bed.

"You shouldn't do that," Celia called rounding the first bed and going towards him. "You're wounds are healed but you must be exhausted from fighting."

"I'll be fine," he claimed sitting up and leaning against the wall. At once his eyes landed at the Japanese Exorcist, "Well, if it isn't Mr. Sunshine?"

"Don't start with me Evernly," Kanda scowled at him.

"Both of you stop it." Celia's reproach made both look away from each other like little kids being scolded by their teacher. "You should rest, Janus."

"I don't need rest, sweetheart," Janus said going back to his usual attitude. "Besides, the kid is what worries me most of all now." His words seemed murmured as if only meant for her just as his eyes darkened. A grim expression took over Celia's face as well. Noticing this Kanda couldn't help but say something.

"What is it?" he asked, the question more directed to her and him.

Janus, nonetheless, answered him, "Asutsuo. Our nephew's become the new Giver of Wisdom."

"Giver of Wisdom...?" Kanda repeated.

Celia stared at the floor before looking up at him, "What I used to be before I died and became your Innocence, Kanda. At first, it was I who was to bring an inevitable apocalypse to the word by giving birth to 'God' through Alice. She was to be the conceived, I the deliverer. But I died, leaving her with no way to have this god. Another had to be given the role in order for the 21 Sacraments to continue."

"The 21 Sacraments..." Kanda muttered remembering well that first time Celia had killed ten of the scientists in the Asian Branch the night she and her sister disappeared along with Janus.

"What are they? The 21 Sacraments?" Johnny asked, the only person in the room almost oblivious to the subject.

"A sacrificial ceremony," Janus began while getting comfortable. "Nineteen are to be sacrificed each with a meaning in mind and dealt by the 21st one. By giving their lives, the 21st cleanses the twentieth, the Mother, in order for her to give birth to 'god' in its corporeal body on earth. Once the newborn arrives, the 21st Sacrament will give its body in order for 'god' to move freely upon this world. If and when it is born, 'god' will devastate all and have mercy on none." Janus sighed, "That is why it is an apocalypse if it is born."

"We won't allow it to," Celia reprimanded to mend his sour attitude. "I may have giving all the sacrifices but there are a good amount of loose ends to tie."

"Stupid girl," Janus said with a snort catching their attention. "That's what he meant by 'he'll be born with or without you'."

"Shut up for a minute," Kanda snarled at him and turned to Celia. "Did you meet the midget?" The way this conversation was focused on him and the ritual could mean one thing. Celia's eyes widened at his sudden question but quickly turned away. He grabbed her by her wrist firmly and asked again, "Did you see Asutsuo?" Unable to speak she simply nodded. He clicked his tongue and let go of her.

"It wasn't her fault or anybody's," Janus said. "Plus, he wasn't even followed by Finders or anything. He was alone. More than that I'm worried about what he has become."

"What do you mean?" Johnny inquired.

Janus gestured to Celia and then towards Kanda, "You're his Innocence. You'll be able to explain what we saw better to him."

Celia sighed and held out her hands, "Give me your hands." Kanda hesitated a bit but in the end gave a scowl and gave one to her. She carefully covered his with both of hers, and said, "Just watch and shut up."

She closed her eyes and a sudden image came before his eyes. Having his eyes open he saw both what he could see and what she showed him. Closing them he saw what she meant for him to see. She was as when they had arrived at the room, carrying Janus' body. However, he wasn't unconscious like before but mildly so. Both staring dead ahead to a young man stand a head or two taller than Celia's hunched form. Kanda figured that this, in the least, meant that he was his height if not a bit taller. The shadows cloaked the man but the two seemed to know who he was.

"Aren't you a nice surprise?" Janus grinned although Celia carried an expression between stunned and fear.

"Being a surprise implicates that there be a place the said amazement." A deep voice had come from the man and with it a body emerged from the shadows.

Kanda restrained the gasp that he suddenly felt in his throat. _Asutsuo. _

Just as they had said it was hard to explain. The midget wasn't a midget anymore. Out of nowhere he had grown into a full grown teen probably the age of Kanda and Lavi. Tall and toned, he wore dark clothes and his hair was short from the back with sort of long bangs to his shoulders. A necklace hung from his neck with three separate red magatamas on it. His eyes, however, weren't his normal scarlet but instead were a glossy white with specks of scarlet about it. The way he looked, it was almost as if seeing a ghost.

"A-Asutsuo?" Celia muttered a bit afraid. He couldn't blame her, an odd power emanated from the boy. Something pure of malice. He looked towards her making her slightly flinch and tense up. He stayed silent for a few seconds and stared at the floor.

"Are you looking for a fight pretty boy?" Janus called out when nobody spoke.

Kanda couldn't believe the dumb shit. Why the fuck was he picking a fight when he was so vulnerable?

"It is not to battle for which I came," Asutsuo spoke coldly to them. Oddly enough, his manner of speech seemed strangely familiar to Kanda. He stared back to the floor again as if question himself. After nodding a couple of times, his head rose, "It is not what I seek."

"Then what do you want?" Janus questioned him. Right then, it didn't matter what they were. All that matter to them was their own survival in front of enemy lines.

"To say that it is that way." Liberally, Asutsuo raised his arm and pointed east. Kanda glanced around at the streets and his eyes widened at seeing the first street. He was pointing to the direction where they were lodged.

"What do you mean, Astu?" Celia asked. Deep down she still couldn't believe that such a malicious feeling could come from that little boy, Kanda could tell.

"Do not call me that," Asutsuo deadpanned. Frivolous, unattached, cynical. Kanda knew now why Asutsuo's speech seem so familiar.

It sounded exactly like him.

Asutsuo sighed composing himself and a sudden twitch came to his head as he grabbed it as if in pain.

"Asutsuo!" Celia exclaimed in concern.

"Go!" she flinched at his yell. He held his head as if trying to control his own impulses. "I won't be able to contain it any longer! You have to go before it takes over!"

"But-"

**"Mommy!"**

Celia gasped at the single word that he pronounced as new flashes came into her head along with Kanda's. He saw what she did now and what he saw where those moments, those memories, that involved the midget, her, and himself. And he didn't just see them, he felt them as if relieving them all over again. This time she _did_ remember Asutsuo.

"Celia." Janus forced hiss made her snap out of her own mind. She glanced down, "We must go. We can't stand here."

"But Asutsuo's-"

"We'll take care of him when the time comes. He's strong, he'll live. For now, we have to mind our own survival," he hissed. Celia gulped and nodded as she took all the strength that Albus gave her and ran for it along with Janus towards the direction that he'd pointed to. Even then, she glanced over her shoulder at the figure that staggered away, holding its head, in the opposite direction.

Her hands lessened their grip returning Kanda to the now. He glanced up at Celia who stared him straight in the eyes. Her amethyst orbs glazed over as they bore into his cobalt ones.

Her lips parted open as words spilled from them, "I told you to act differently in front of him. I told you he looked up to you. But even so you didn't listen. Now you're the one at fault. It's your fault that he turned out this way."

Kanda scowled and slapped away her hands forcefully making her gasp and her eyes to widen in surprise. He walked to the opposite foremost corner of the room. Whatever it took to get away from that saddened gaze. What was this he felt? Possibly guilt but it wasn't his fault. He knew that yet those eyes and those words struck him deep. For now, watching her like that was unbearable.

"I see," Johnny said just as Janus finished relating the happenings to him while Celia showed Kanda. "But how did Asutsuo-kun grow so much in so little time?"

"That was my mother's fault," Janus said with a heavy sigh. "Her plans have changed."

"Evangelique's?" Celia said with a small sniff as she turned to him and tried to forget about Kanda.

"She's not interested in you anymore, at least not as her next vessel." Janus looked at her, "It seems that she's chosen Asutsuo as her next."

"What?!" Celia exclaimed a little louder than intended. "How did she get a hold of him in the first place?"

"Alyth," Janus simply said.

"Alyth is... Evangelique's follower?" Celia said slowly taking it in.

"The reason she could control Alice was because Atrum had exited her body leaving Alyth, the infected part of her, alone in her body. Slowly, Alyth started to assimilate Alice's role and the more contact Alyth had with Atrum, the more control she had over him." Janus stopped and glanced at Kanda to make sure he was listening in to this as well. And although he wasn't directly facing them, his face was slightly turned towards them and was low attempting to hear him. He grinned, that was a good pseudo-father. "But it seems that the reason why he helped us was because she wasn't in complete control as of yet. His conscious can still reach the surface enabling him to remain sane for the time being."

"What will happen to him when he can no longer do that?" Johnny asked.

"He will do what he is told to do, no second thoughts. Actually with no thoughts of his own whatsoever. The boy you know as Asutsuo would disappear and in his stead would remain Atrum who's controlled by Alyth and in turn by my mother." Janus gritted his teeth, "She'll try to revive 'god' into a corporeal body again but instead she intends to reverse the purpose."

"What do you mean?" Celia asked confused.

"Instead of 'god' taking her body, she will take 'god's' and turn she will become an otherworldly being, an immortal," Janus explained.

"That's not possible," Johnny responded. "Immortality hasn't been able to be achieved in all of humankind's history."

"What is the Millennium Earl then?" Janus said with a wry smile. Johnny's mouth remained opened in astonishment. Kanda glanced away, the Evernly boy was right. If the Millennium Earl could achieve immortality then someone else would too. Sooner or later.

"Did you ever hear how she was planning to do that?" Celia asked.

"I read one of her books way back when I was still with her. It detailed every specific thing that must be done if you, Alice, and I failed as her vessels. In order for 'god' to be born, it needs to absorb all imperfection to purify itself. Once that is done, it'll be born and by giving a pure being she will reverse the process making the corporeal body usable instead of expendable."

"What kind of pure being? I don't believe such thing exists," Johnny commented.

"Oh but you do!" Janus said raising a finger which he led to point upon Celia's chest. "Innocence are God's Holy Hand upon this earth. And an Apocryphos is the purest of them all."

Celia touched her chest just as Janus took back his finger. Her fingers curled around her proof of existence. That ruby-colored scar on her body was sign that she wasn't human any longer but an Innocence. Something she detested with her every cell. "What about the imperfections? What are they?"

"The Lost Souls are creatures of those imperfections, things which come from the virus that Marcus created," Janus said glancing at Celia then at Kanda.

"You mean those infected by Progenitor," Kanda finally spoke up turning to face them but not completely joining the conversation since he remained in his place.

"Correct," Janus said. "In short, every last one of us infected by Progenitor, Asutsuo will absorb and will become 'god' corporeal vessel. Once that happens, Evangelique will use an Apocryphos to reverse the purpose of 'god' and make his body, life, and soul hers therefore becoming immortal."

"With what purpose in mind?" Johnny answered.

"Kill and destroy any trace of those who humiliated and ended her humanity and soul."

"The Black Order." Kanda's answer was straight forth. He knew the answer to that since it was the same that Alma had and the same that he had as well. They had done them so much that they deserve no less and way more and to go to those lengths to obtain such things? He could believe it. After all, hadn't Alma payed the ultimate price to do so? Had _he_ not?

"Exactly," Janus answered.

"Then," the three turned to Celia who's voice had suddenly gain force and vitality. It was as if her whole ordeal with the Noahs had never occurred. "How do we stop her?"

"It's quite simply actually," Janus said with a shrug of his shoulders. "We get rid of every trace of Progenitor before Asutsuo get's to them. And then destroy her. Evangelique has a weak body which is why she needs one desperately. Ridding us of 'god' first is ideal, then she'll remain defenseless."

"How though?" Celia kept asking.

"Kill everybody infected with it," Janus deadpanned. Celia's eyes widened, everybody?

"What about Asutsuo? And Alice? What about them?" Celia inquired stupidly hopeful. Even she knew the answer but was afraid to hear it.

"All of them, Celia. No," he said with a grim grin. "All of us must die."

"Us?"

"Yeah, sweetheart," he said nudging her chin up with his finger as her amethyst eyes bore at his with bewilderment. Kanda only glowered at him but to no avail, he knew the answer as well. That didn't mean he was willing to accept it. "You included."

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_**Dun dun dun! X) Holy crap. Intense. **_

_**Sorry for the long wait people but I've had lots of stuff to deal with. But I'll keep writing little by little.**_

_**Please read and review! :D**_


	9. Chain Nine

**Another one! Another one! Yay! xD**

**Thanks go to:**

**-sky of c-o-l-o-r-s for the awesome review. For being the first to do so this is dedicated to you. And I'll also answer some of your questions ;)  
-Vertan Yamamoto for the follow and fav, thanks a lot sweetheart :D**

**And now to the thing you all came for! **

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**Chain** **Nine: A Cost of Decisions**

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Celia bend over to wash her face on the washbasin of the bathroom. Splashing water on her face she glanced up to see herself. Her hair fell precariously before her face and her bright amethyst eyes shone through exposing themselves. The only thing brighter than her eyes was the ruby, diamond-shaped scar on her chest, right between her breasts.

She heaved a sigh at her own mind trying to think too much. The information that Janus had given them about the 21 Sacraments what's a mouthful to swallow. Even now she was having trouble processing that much. All she understood from that was that unless they stopped Evangelique from making Asutsuo sacrifice himself into becoming the new 'god', she would become immortal. Not only that but she also remembered what Kanda had told her after that. Just when Janus had fallen asleep he took her outside the hall to speak to her away from suspicious ears.

"You understood what he said back there, right?" was the first thing he asked.

"I'm not dumb, you fucker," she cussed a little pissed about all this surrounding the people she loved or had at least once loved.

"Then do you get what will happen if that mother of his, with the purpose she has in mind, gets an immortal body from the midget?"

His question was straight forward, as always, and made Celia think for a bit. Then she remembered what Janus had said and to what Kanda had responded. "She intends to destroy the Order."

"Including the Exorcists. All of them. If the Exorcists and every last member of the Order is gone then in the end there won't be anybody to stop the Millennium Earl," he continued in a haste.

"And the Noahs and he will be able to do as they please, bringing forth the Three Days of Darkness again," Celia said finally getting it.

Celia's thoughts came back to then and couldn't believe it. One small action, the littlest decision, could most possibly destroy the entire world and send it back to darkness.

_"That's basically how the whole world functions, darling."_ Celia heard Ambrose's voice inside her head. Looking into the mirror, she could see his transparent form leaning against the left wall of the bathroom. _"Even the slightest decision from any living being in this place had a great impact on not only their lives but also in the whole world's. Say, for example, that the Order hadn't existed then the sixth laboratory in the Asian Branch wouldn't have existed. Which would've, in turn, cause that none of you five, you , Kanda, Alma, Alice, or Janus, to have been born. Overall, you have to be careful with what you decide because even your own decisions have a great effect on the world."_

"It's almost like causing a war by throwing a rock," Celia said summarizing it all. "Even a stupid decision can result fatal for everybody."

Ambrose's body completely materialized behind her. "Which is why you have to be careful with what you disclose with others, specially about what I tell you. I'm from another time and place, the only reason I'm here is because I was contained in you by your mother."

"Talking about disclosing, when are you telling me how to turn back into a human," Celia deadpanned letting her bangs obscure her eyes from him.

Ambrose groaned loudly and let his head fall back. "I told you that I will but first you must get rid of the virus that still lingers in you."

"What virus?" Celia called finally turning to him and piercing him with her eyes. "I thought I was a pure being. Didn't Janus say it himself? I'm an Apocryphos, are't I?"

"Not a complete one." At seeing her confused expression he further explained. "You're not utterly independent, you still need an accomodator to activate yourself. If you're not completely an Apocryphos then you aren't completely free of the virus either."

"But Hevraska said that my body showed no traces of the virus. Where-"

"What is the only thing that you have from the old you from before?" he inquired to her. She looked at him perplexed while squinting her eyes. He came closer and tapped her forehead twice.

She grabbed it, deep in thought, and understood, "My memories?"

"It's illogical that such human engineering came to such level of thinking. Seeing its imminent destruction inside your body, it hid and incubated where it knew it would survive. In embedded itself in your brain cells where your memory is stored and remained there until you regained another corporeal body. Now that you have, it's fighting it's way against Albus and I to gain control of your body anew. It's weak but it multiplies quickly. It'll take time but if it isn't stopped you will return to the state that you were before, on the verge of death." He leaned back against the wall, "This is why I need you to cure yourself first. If you don't and you return to being a human. It'll be the same."

"But how though?" Celia called not knowing what to do. "You told me that the dead would serve as my cure but what dead?"

"The same that Asutsuo has used as sacrifices," Ambrose gently put it.

Celia's eyes cringed a bit but then slowly widened, "Who...Who has he killed already?"

Ambrose sighed and closed his eyes, "Lily, Bagira, and Marcus."

Celia remained quiet for a few seconds and lowered her head. Even though she didn't believe she sent a small prayer for they're well being. Wherever they might be. Without knowing, her lips had began to mumble a little tune. It was the same melody that she use time and again back when she was an Exorcist in order to liberate the souls of the Lost Ones.

When she was finished, she simply took her bead bracelet she had taken off to not wet it and turned to Ambrose. "I'll follow you for now but if I even sense you crossing me, I'll stop this at once."

"Only fair," Ambrose said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Evangelique has caused too much suffering already. I won't let her continue it, no matter what," she confessed. She went for the door before she heard him speak one last time before disappearing.

"Well said. I've always thought that only those who've payed the price should be allowed to play. And the way I see it, all of ya'll already have." With that last comment he disappeared.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Celia instantly noticed Kanda's absence from the place. She turned to Johnny and asked him, "And Kanda?"

"He stepped out just now," Johnny answered.

Celia heaved a stressed sigh and massaged her neck, "I'll go get him."

"Are you sure?" Johnny asked a bit puzzled. "He's sure to come back though. Why not just wait?"

"Yeah, he'll come back but we can't say that he won't get in trouble," Celia turned to him with a wry smile with the doorknob in her hand. "Don't worry. I'll bring him back with no problem."

With that Celia left closing the door behind herself. She pulled on the hood of the small, short-sleeved jacket before putting her hands in the pockets. Once outside, she rubbed her hands against her arms. It was strangely cold out tonight. Shoving her hands back and tucking her arms close to her body she walked off following her instincts that would, no doubt, lead her to him.

It was odd to her how she could find him, like a hound sniffing out a scent given to it. But she guessed that came with her body being so hypersensitive, overly so with anything having to do with that guy.

She wondered what exactly had happened between them. Yeah, she'd seen her old memories and sure, she'd even kissed him back then. All that was because she felt secure by his side. He seemed to be her safe port not only now but seemingly back then as well.

She breathed out and saw white smoke empty from her mouth. It _was_ cold. Too cold, actually. A sudden crackling made her head turn up towards a street sign that was covered completely in an ice cap.

"What the..."

Hearing a crackling from behind her, she saw as a trail of frost began to cover the way she'd come from.

_"Let it freeze."_ Celia's sense shook with the sound of the coherent voice. Suddenly from the corner came a body. Slender but tall and toned, it seemed to be the body of a strong woman. The difference any she'd seen was that this one was a silver color. With every step it took, it froze most of the floor and its surroundings.

"A Lost Silva," Celia's voice barely mumbled. She knew those. Humans turned into killing machines when infected with the virus.

_"Freeze!"_ the silver mutant screeched flinging her arm at Celia letting out icicles at her. Jumping out of the way, she heard at they went through the wall behind her.

Sturdy, she thought. Way stronger than normal ice.

_"Freeze, freeze, freeze!"_ it called sending now a myriad of them towards Celia.

Turning to corner she took a run for it barely avoiding a couple. She knew this was all she could do since she couldn't summon Xiao without Kanda's say so. Shit, it just happened that the one time she needed the brute he disappeared.

Turning another corner she bumped into someone. Quickly looking up, she heaved a relief when she met those cobalt irises.

"Damn it. Can I get no space?" Kanda scowled at her.

"No time!" Celia yelled and grabbed Kanda's hand letting his powers activate her. Spinning around on her heels, she drew Xiao's kwan dao form from thin air just in time to see the ice freak come from where she had.

Jumping out of the way of projectiles, Celia bounced off from a nearby wall and went after the mutts legs. Screeching in a high pitched voice, it slumped to the ground. Celia quickly stabbed it making it give a last scream before turning into dust.

Celia panted tired of running all around from avoiding it. Stabbing her weapon on the floor, she shattered the ice floor that blocked their path.

"A mutt?" Kanda called seeing as the dust got carried away by the breeze.

"Yeah. And thanks to your royal ass, I had to come running to you when I couldn't do crap," Celia complained.

"You're fault," Kanda answered, brushing off her argument while he started to walk away.

"My fau-What?!" Celia yelled letting Xiao disappear. "For what I remember, that I'm like this is your fucking fault!"

* * *

"Huh?" Johnny called hearing shuffling from behind him. Janus was getting up from the bed as he gather his things. "Janus-san, you shouldn't be moving around?"

"I'll be fine," Janus assured. "I need to leave."

"Wouldn't it be better to stay here to be by Celia-san's side?" Johnny asked him.

"It sounds like the better idea but it's completely the wrong one," Janus said getting to the door. "Hoards of Lost Souls will gather is they sense, more than three similar powers in a single area. It's the same reason why Gazelle wanted to leave as well. Celia is well protected, she has Kanda after all. If I stay, I'll just lead the enemy here." Janus smiled, "If she asks, you can tell her that." Leaving, he closed the door behind him.

A few moments later, Johnny began to heard murmuring in front of him.

"Did you wake up, Mana?"

* * *

As they walked back to the inn, Kanda remained steps ahead from Celia. She, on the other hand, didn't mind the space. She was still thinking plenty of others things.

"Hey, Kanda?" No answer from him. "Kanda?" She raised her voice a touch more. She growled, "Hey, Bakanda!"

"What do you want." He just put it out there, not even a polite question.

Celia walked glancing down, "You heard what Janus said, right?"

"Kind of hard not to."

His sarcasm wasn't really helping with what she wanted to ask. Yet she swallowed her pride because this was really bothering her, "Well, do you really think the only way of stopping Evangelique is to destroy all trace of the virus?"

Kanda stayed silent for a moment before heaving an annoyed sigh and answering, "It seems that way."

Celia didn't raise her face and said, "Then I'll have to be destroyed too then." A few seconds later she stumbled yet again with a firm figure. Glancing up, she flinched at the expression of those cobalt eyes.

"Why?" he simply asked.

"I'm not cured," Celia answered directly knowing exactly what he referred to.

"You're Innocence, of course you're-"

"My memories, Kanda!" she yelled getting tired of his pigheadedness. "It's my memories. They came back to me but they didn't come back by themselves. They're infected. So I'm still sick. I'm still dying." Kanda remained silent. Celia glanced up to him awaiting his response. He simple 'tched' and kept walking. What? That's it?! She ran up to his side, "What? Do you not care at all what happens to me?"

"It won't happen."

"What?" Celia repeated.

"I won't let you die," he said boring his eyes at her own. He turned and mutter, "Not again."

Celia stayed in place looking at his back as he walked away. Kanda was such a douche bag. He was such a jackass. He was such an idiot and many more things and he also had hope. Something that she was seriously lacking; something she used to have that she'd seen from her memories. She used to be bold and so daring. What had happened?

_"You died, kiddo. Things like that change people,"_ Ambrose answered her.

But no, sh refused to accept that. She could be bold and daring, she was brave herself. She had just forgotten how but seeing Kanda so reminded her of what she was and what she could still be. She smiled and skipped up to him seeing as they were already inside the inn.

_"Don't get too close, kid. When the time comes, you'll have to choose the best of the two."_

'What?' Celia inquired when Ambrose made an odd comment. Kanda was walking in front of her in the hallway of where their little room was. But when Kanda's hand touched the doorknob his intent changed radically giving Celia a very ominous feeling and when Kanda bust open the door drawing Mugen out, it didn't help.

"What are you doing?" Celia called running up to him and pulling onto his forearm but to no avail.

"You..." Celia stopped as soon as she heard Kanda speak. "14th!?"

Celia looked at Allen, whom she'd barely notice was awake, and looked into his eyes. She shivered at the feeling they sent. They didn't have the warmness that they used to, that she knew. They were different, they just weren't the same. Letting go of Kanda, a question slowly surfaced into her mind.

If Allen was awake...where was Johnny?

The sudden raged yelling from them didn't distract her from her question as she scanned the room. Mutterings made her attention go to the other bed where Janus wasn't lying down but in his stead was Johnny's semiconscious figure.

"Kanda..." She didn't really have to say a word for Kanda had noticed too and was already on his way there. She stared blankly as Kanda tried to make Johnny drink his blood. That's right, his blood could cure injuries although in its current state it was hard to tell just how much.

Meanwhile, Celia turned to Allen's confused face. "Allen?" Suddenly his face turned into complete pain and distress at hearing Johnny and Kanda. She cocked her head to the side and wondered why he appeared to be like that. When Johnny said that he mistook someone else for Allen, that broke him. Before any sound could leave Celia's mouth Allen had already back away the most he could while activating his misshaped Innocence.

"Don't come near me!"

His exclamation was surprising to say the least since she was the closest to him than any of the three and yet she didn't move either. Examining his face closely, she could see the tears that trickled down his face. Kanda was the first to confront him, was he running away and leaving them behind like he said? But according to Allen that he go alone was the only way.

Celia seriously doubted that.

"Sorry..." Allen said with a wry smile. "I'm really sorry, Johnny."

"Allen!"

"Please, don't come near me," Allen pleaded. His awakening had begun. I have to be alone in order to fight. If I don't leave, things will end up like this again."

"Like this?" Celia repeated no louder than a humble. People getting hurt because of you, being the source of all pain and suffering to the ones you loved. She knew exactly how that felt.

"Yeah, I'm sorry for my mistake," Johnny apologized. Then Johnny offered his help, not as a scientist of the Order but rather...as a friend. His friend. Surprisingly, that made him blush severely. Seeing their opportunity, Kanda yelled at Johnny to get a rope to capture Allen.

"I not taking part in this," Celia called taking a step back as they attempted to tide him up. Lucky for Allen, that bulgy Innocence of his was hard to contain. As the struggled continued, Celia felt a sudden twitch in her left hand. Looking down she noticed how it kept moving by itself.

"What the-"

"Augh!" Allen's sudden screams made Celia snap her head towards them. His Innocence was crackling energy from all over making both Kanda and Johnny stand back.

"What's happening?!" Johnny called from above the noise of the noise. Kanda scowled trying to see the answer as well.

_"Overcharge."_ Ambrose was telling her exactly what it was. _"He's two sides colliding are making his Innocence react just like when Albus and the virus reacted in you. It's a rebound."_

"AHHH!" Allen's screams of pain intensified along with the energy lashing. Yeah, this had happened to her before. That's when a faint memory came to mind, Alice taking away her Innocence that time when hers ran out of control because of the overcharge of two different sides. They had been disconnected momentarily from each other leaving Celia enough time to recover control. She glanced up at Allen's distressed form, could she do the same with him?

Not thinking it twice, she ran towards Allen.

"Celia!" Kanda yelled but a bit too late for when he had Celia was already embracing Allen's compulsive form. The energy dramatically changed direction from being released to the outside into her own body through her chest. She felt the pain that he had voiced but biting her tongue down she didn't cry out in pain. She wasn't planning on letting him lose control like she had that time. A taste of iron purged her taste buds along with the pain.

"What's she doing?" Johnny called to Kanda.

"Celia! Get away from him!" Kanda yelled trying to get closer but unable to since not all the energy was entering Celia's body.

"C-Celia!" Allen muttered feeling as the overload of energy that had suddenly exploded from his body was now entering her own. "Let go!"

**"I won't!"** she exclaimed, her voice carrying past the ruckus. She was determined to take all the excess of power from Allen's body. That way he'd have no more rebounds, no more pain.

_"Kid, let go of him!"_ Even Ambrose, but why?

**_"That's enough!"_**

Ambrose's sudden retort shocked her mind enough to force her to release Allen from her embrace. Taking a few steps back, the energy emanating from Allen had completely stopped as he slumped down to the ground exhausted and holding to his arm. Celia took another step back as the white energy traveled in and out of her body accommodating itself still. Bending over she rested her hands on her knees gasping loudly and taking deep breaths.

"C-Celia, are you okay?" Allen asked in short breaths concerned from what she had just done.

Celia raised her face to Allen making him gasp. Her eyes, they were changing from her normal amethyst into a grey, then deep red and back again. Was that because of her absorbing his excess energy? In a span of a second, while her eyes changed, they came to normal making her fall forward. Luckily, Kanda sprung up fast enough to catch her. Using him as support, she leaned against him trying to catch her breath.

"Are you crazy!?" Kanda bellowed.

"Maybe," she answered with a small smile holding onto him. She turned to Allen then and with the same smile said, "Are you alright, Allen?"

"Y-Yeah," he answered still confused at her ever changing eyes.

"Good," she said sounding like she had regained some of her energy. Getting up slowly and with a stagger, she walked over to where Johnny's stuff laid. Rummaging through it she found what she was looking for and handed one strange looking handcuff to Kanda. "Put this on him, would you?"

Kanda said nothing and before Allen could run away, he slapped the handcuff on just at the same time that she slapped an identical one on Johnny's wrist.

With a sweet smile she looked at Allen. Seconds later a small beeping was heard and not a moment later did both get electrocuted by a good amount of power. Both looked up at her with confused gazes.

"Now, you won't be going anywhere, will you, Allen?"

* * *

**Well there it is. Quite fast right?**

**You guys, this is chapter has a special dedication.**

**One of my best friends from last year died last Weds. in a car accident :( He was a great guy and awesome friend and I want to dedicate not only this chapter but this and all my stories to come to his memory.**

**So guys, do me a favor. Go home, be with your family and friends and enjoy your time together. You never know when something might happen. Be wise and most of all be careful.**

**In memory of a great friend.  
J.N.  
April 24, 2013.  
Gone but never forgotten.**


	10. Chain Ten

**Well I think this will be the last chapter for this story in a while. Since DGM is in hiatus for an indefinite amount of time, it looks like this story will be slower than usual :p Sorry about that. But that will give me time to work on other stories and if worse comes I have some ideas too :3**

**Well let's get going with this one first of all, alright? ;9**

* * *

**Chain Ten: A Touch of Life**

* * *

"So what now?" Celia asked uncertain of what direction to take.

Now that Allen had awaken, and that those cuffs kept him from escaping, they had acquired the target they had desperately gone through so much trouble for. But now that they had him, there was no other purpose for them to wonder. Except for keeping him out of the Order's and the Noah's sight, they're escape and betrayal to the Order had been all for one boy. Literally.

She sighed and asked again since nobody seemed to be listening to her. This time, Johnny was the one that answered her. "Well, seeing that we have no money to travel. There has to be some way we can earn money to travel."

"Where to, though?" she inquired.

"The town nearest to this one is a couple of hours on train," Johnny said. "That was originally our next stop. If we retrace the General's footsteps we might end up with some clue."

"Alright then, now the money problem," Celia said.

"We have enough for today's food portion," Johnny called taking out the bit of money he had in his pocket. "I actually have an idea as to what we can do to get the money." And in no less than ten minutes, Johnny already had a stand up for quick repairs and people had already left stuff. Things like typewriters, watches, lamps, and the like were littering the mat below them as Allen held the sign for advertisement, and both he and Kanda glaring away, disdainfully, from each other.

"Well, aren't you a cheery bunch," Celia joked around while standing besides Kanda. "Hey, give me the money we have right now. I'll go buy us some groceries for now."

"That's great. Thanks, Celia." Johnny passed Celia the money and she pocketed it while turning to Kanda who glanced at her.

"What? Worried much?" she joked around.

"I can't go with you."

"Pft," she spat. "Who's asking? I'm going by myself. Besides, those things won't attack in broad daylight."

"Akuma will. The Noah will," Kanda interjected and shook his head. "You're not going."

She growled and turned to Navi who was floating a few meters away from her and plucked it to her side. "I'm taking Navi. If anything happens, I'll give a call, alright?"

"Not happening." Well, that was no surprise. She sighed and simply started walking away. "What are you-"

"I'm not listening to you," she said nonchalantly. "The market's a few blocks away anyways. What could possibly happen?" Ignoring his loud shouts, she turned the corner disappearing from her sight.

Walking around, it sure was lively to see all those people going about their lives as if nothing were happening. It amazed Celia. Was she and the others so carefree back then like she saw on those memories she remembered? Well, she scoffed to herself, they weren't all that carefree now, were they? After all, they were constantly fighting the war that few knew about, even fewer fought, but that everybody paid for greatly.

**"Reminiscing?"**

She propped her head up at hearing Ambrose's clear voice in her head. She sighed, even now, after all this and her talk with Kanda the previous night, did she wonder if Ambrose was a person to whom bestow trust upon. It was clear that the fearsome warrior he once was wasn't anymore. He had lost all his powers after being taken from being an Apocryphos serving the Heart. And now he was but the mere guider of a girl who didn't have a power of her own anymore. Well, in fact, she wasn't even that. She wasn't human. Just another piece of Innocence; a weapon used by her Accomodator.

A twinge of sharp pain came straight from her chest. Placing her hand gently upon the middle of her breasts, she could faintly feel the beating of her soft heart.

Ba-dump...ba-dump...ba-dump...ba-dump.

It was odd to hear it now because, unlike before, it sounded fake and clockwork-like. A machine meant to work until its duty was complete. She cringed at the sound of it and even recalled this morning. When she had woken and taken a shower, she clearly saw them. Cracks coming from the outside of the diamond-shaped 'heart' of hers and a vibrant red glow pulsating in them with every beat. When this thought came to mind she gulped down a lump in her throat and asked Ambrose the question that went down with it.

"Ambrose? What if I don't become human before the war ends? What will happen to me if it ends and there are no more Akuma and no more Noah, or the Millennium Earl? What's my purpose then? Will I have none?"

The man's soul kept quiet for a second making her quite uncomfortable. It reminded her of this morning exactly when she had inquired to him about the fixtures but, to her dismay, he feigned having no answer. How did she know he had lied? Many people had before, apparently, so she knew the mechanisms of the gesture. The lowering of the eyes, the curving of the lips, the glazed over look on the eyes. It was obvious.

**"I don't know kid."**

And right now, she could clearly see those same attributes to his words. He was lying to her. He knew. But instead of saying something she kept quiet. Why, she had no idea but something told her that the answer wouldn't be pretty anyways.

"I see," she said softly. Faking a smile she trotted up to the sells man and got as much food for them as she could. For now all she had to go on was the small hope that she could turn human again. With no threat of the virus then, she could go back to being an Exorcist and fight with no complications. This time she would be of help. Walking back with the back of groceries in her hands, she pondered on this until it escaped her. "Ambrose, when are you gonna tell me how to become human?"

This time he answered quickly and with no hesitation.

**"When the time is right. What's needed is absolute precision. And utter compliance."**

"But I'm ready. I want to be human already. Isn't that compliance enough?" she called.

**"It isn't yours I need."**

A sudden tinkle from Navi made her half hear what Ambrose had said. By now, the white golem was banging hard against her shoulder making her stop and look at her. "What's wrong, Navi?" With it's tail, it hovered while pointing forward. In front of her, not that many streets away, was the little shop they had opened. However, instead of three there was only Kanda and before him a man bending over to see one of the products.

"Have I...seen him before?" she muttered.

**"Shit... Hide!"**

Ambrose sudden hysteric cry made her jump and quickly sneak behind a building's wall. Looking over it, she had perfect view of the shop. "Why am I hiding, Ambrose? Who is that guy?"

**"The Cardinal... One of the Heart's men."**

At that, Celia saw as Timcanpy's size became tenfold as he lunged at the man that was kneeling before the shop.

"Ah!" she gasped dropping the bag and running towards Kanda and Tim.

**"No! Celia, you can't!"**

"I'm not just going to stand around and do nothing!" she shouted as people began to scatter. "Something's wrong!"

**"You don't understand! If the Cardinal sees you-!"**

"Kanda!" she yelled above the noise.

"Celia." He glanced her way as she stopped across from Tim.

"What happened?" she called confused. "Tim's-Ah!" The sudden burst of wings coming from beneath Tim and the force they conjured made Celia cover her face with her arms. Yet the explosion that followed it from Tim being launched upward sent her flying across towards a brick wall. As Kanda tore away the wings that pierced Timcanpy with Mugen's First Illusion, his eyes searched through the flying debris for the figure of the girl.

"Celia!"

"I-I'm here!" She yelled but coughed immediately after. That hit had taken the air from her lungs. Coughing more she lifted herself up to see the monstrosity that was standing not far from her now.

"What are you!?" Kanda bellowed to it, summoning his Double Illusion Swords. Standing up, it was hard for her to regain balance. So much so, that she had to hold onto the wall. Why was she feeling this way? So drained and so powerless.

**"It's Kanda. He's using Mugen full power which is draining your life source significantly. You'll be at a loss if he can't balance his energy outlet. You can't fight!"**

His last statement coming out as a yell seeing as Celia started moving towards Timcanpy who laid still at the opening of an alleyway. Seeing that Kanda was keeping the thing occupied, she sought the opportunity to go get the injured golem.

Giving it a glance, the Cardinal noticed the girl running to its aide, "Is that...?"

Running towards it, she took a knee before and reached out for him. Yet before she even touched it, Tim had healed himself and went back to his tiny shape. Too tired to move himself, Celia took Tim in her hands while having Navi floating beside her.

"Navi, go tell Allen about this. Run!" she yelled at her as her white golem shimmered in the sun as it shot out towards their direction. Hearing a groan from behind her, she saw just as the Cardinal slammed Kanda onto the concrete floor, denting it and injuring him greatly. As he grabbed him by the skull and pronounced some words she couldn't hear, feathers sprouted from his eyes as he let out an agonizing scream. "Kanda!"

"Hmm, seems Allen didn't tell him much information about me," he said as he began approaching Tim and Celia while dragging Kanda with him. "How was your reunion with your master after 35 years, worthless puppet?" Then he eyed Celia above his glasses and a nasty look took over them. "And you filth." Celia cringed at the way he growled the words at her. And she knew those were for her since his glare was right at her. Although she coward greatly in the inside, she stood firm on the outside. Holding Tim close, she was at least glad she had him conscious. "How dare you show yourself before me?"

"Shut your fucking mouth," Celia spat out and although it wasn't her words, she agreed with each and every one just as Ambrose told them to her. "I am no filth. I am Ambrose, the Immortal One."

"Wrong." Backhanding Celia hard enough to send her back into the alley and making her drop Tim not far from where Kanda's golem had landed. Lifting her heavy body up, she could feel just how weak Kanda was getting. Her body felt like wet wool, so heavy and so clumsy. "Let the child speak, Ambrosius. It is not your body to control any longer!" Reaching his hand, a stem of feathers shot out aiming for her. Rolling over she managed to avoid it but it also managed to make her even more weak. Every movement was a hassle and it deplored whatever minuscule amount of power she had left to use.

"L-Let him go!" she yelled barely holding herself up.

"That won't be possible child," he said deplorably. Facing Tim he spoke to him once again of how much of thorn on his side he had been, helping Allen keep conscious even if some days more. "Oh, if you fly to where Allen is, I will take this Mugen owner and the half-Apocryphos as hostages. Sooner or later I will assimilate Allen. Being a gentle person, Allen will definitely not abandon his comrades. What will you do? If you stay here, I will spare Allen today."

At hearing this, Tim didn't think twice and stopped flying, staying still in one spot. "No. T-Tim," Celia groaned feeling her insides hurting. Looking at the Cardinal as he spoke and took something from his mouth, Celia shivered and tried her best to move forth even if that meant dragging herself towards them. She needed to protect Tim. He was- is- Cross's. He's Allen's. She wouldn't let anything happen to him if she could avoid it. "T-Tim, run! Go!" But Tim, at seeing what the Cardinal held in his fingers, slapped Kanda's golem until it activated. Suddenly voices from whom she assumed where Finders came through. The Order was searching for them. "They're coming?"

"Ah, I see. You thought I'd retreat is I knew the people from the Order where coming," he said holding still the piece that he had taken from his mouth. But out of nowhere, Kanda had taken his head by his legs and snapping his neck. Celia sighed as she saw Kanda coughing while trying to catch him breath.

"K-Kanda," she whispered as she leaned on the wall to get up but ending just sliding back down to a sit. Meanwhile Kanda, mumbling something about his head, stood up taking a deep breath as the feathers in his eyes went into his sockets. But just as soon as he had gotten up did he fall back down again, this time unconscious. "No. Kanda!" Leaning on her arms to face them, Celia was yelling with all she had and even then it came out weak and shaky. Floating over him were both Tim and his golem. "Kanda! Wake up, Yu! For the love of-! Timcanpy!" But at her last shout, the Cardinal had sprung back to life and stabbed Tim straight through. As he fell to the ground, the object dug deeper into his littler body. "No, Tim!"

Turning towards her, the Cardinal lifted his glasses to the bridged of his nose. "You don't have to worry about him any longer. He is already gone."

"You bastard!" she yelled trying to get up but only resulting in her falling face down on the ground.

"You know, it hasn't been only him that has been an issue." Walking close to Celia, who was distracted trying to lift her self to a sit again, he grabbed a hold of her neck and lifted her up in the air.

"Ah!" she yelled holding to his hand trying to get rid of the hold he had. "Don't!"

"Because of Ambrosius' unexpected return, it was harder for me to locate Allen. You see, two powers like yours and Crown Clown's clashing in a same place can be misleading. Not to mention that you have led this, once loyal soldier, to the edge. Child, know that this wasn't your life to live to begin with. Not only that but you have fallen from grace. Although you are considered a powerful piece, you can't be left to your own accord. No King should." Getting his free hand and making the feathers appear and form a strong, thin blade, "But what is a King to God?"

Celia managed to slightly chuckled at his remark. Grinning and opening her eyes she murmured, "What's God to a nonbeliever?"

He pierced right through the side of her skull. Her hands instantly went limp as she dangled lifelessly. "But that's not the reason, in actuality. It was your foolishness, child, that has led me to this decision. Absorbing the excess energy of Crown Clown from Allen was a bad idea." Raising her up, he let the blood stain his hand and her face completely before throwing her away as she hit a mount of debris that fell on her, hiding her body from view. "Now let that body rot from the inside out because of it."

"As I promised, I will leave Allen alone for today."

* * *

At rounding a corner, the Finders finally managed to see Kanda's golem which led them to the alley on which he barely began to wake up. Messaging General Tiedoll just as they got there, Kanda was hazy on details. He had fainted on his way to the Order, right? Yeah, he had said what he had to to Allen and had led him and Johnny away before heading his way back.

_"...Y-"_

"You dropped Mugen on the side of the road, Kanda," Tiedoll said as he pierced the ground before Kanda with Mugen. He didn't know what, but Tiedoll had just interrupted something. Suddenly, bombarding him with questions, made Kanda realize what or more like who's voice he was slightly hearing on the back of his head.

_"...Yu..."_

_Celia...?_

A sudden pain on his chest where his mark stood began to pierce him. As if trying to heal something. Doubling over in pain, Kanda failed to hear the General's cries of concern. He remembered nothing had happened like he thought. 'He' had blocked them out and tried to replace them. Then, like he knew already, the memories flooded in of what just the Cardinal's attacks felt. They were the same as the ones he was forced to back when he was small. _"He is Innocence!"_

Then remembering Timcanpy, he called out for him and saw his body blackened and shattered. Taking out the wooden chip, he couldn't lay a finger on how it had happened. That was when the Finders began to call out to the General that Allen Walker and Johnny Gill had been spotted near and heading towards the train station and they headed ahead.

Kanda grabbed Tiedoll fiercely but the man only ended up laughing. He wiped away tears as he greeted Kanda back since they last saw each other. Tiedoll knew the ordeal that they were all facing, him and Lenalee and Marie, and on top of that the great suspicion and loss of trust from Central. He, however, offered the answer.

"That's why my condition is..." he said trailing for a bit. "For you to show your power and loyalty to the Central. Only if you promise me that, will I cooperate with you." He looked a Kanda with a serious face while his was baffled, "Become a General."

Tiedoll explained how, after all, there was a space open since Cross had gone missing. Plus it wasn't any surprise that Kanda would have already surpassed his critical point. Then he asked, "Or are you just not determined enough...to enter the core of the Black Order that you hate so much?" Briefly thinking it over he knew what to do, "Very wel-"

Tinkle. Tinkle. Hearing a noise behind him, he turned without finishing to see a shimmering white sphere hovering over a mount of debris. Both turning to it, it was hard to distinguish its figure but after a few seconds saw what it was.

"Navi!" his called made the golem turn towards the pile and start pounding on it with itself. Running towards it, Kanda saw the golem injuring itself in order to unsuccessfully unburden whatever was under from the debris. Kanda immediately gave it a hand pushing and pulling boulders away until he managed to open a small ridge to see underneath.

His eyes instantly widened in fear as he began to hurriedly and desperately dig while muttering words under his breath. Finally reaching, he pulled a limp figure from it all dirtied in dirt and dried blood.

In his arms, Celia seemed lifeless. It was like holding a broken porcelain doll, she felt cold.

"My goodness," Tiedoll murmured as he came up to them and knelt before them. Checking her vitals was futile for there weren't any left. He gasped not wanting to say the dreadful words in front of Kanda but his apprentice's own expression said it all.

His eyes were wide in fear and bafflement as he brushed away the hair from her face with, shockingly, shaking hands. Looking at her face only made his every emotion intensify tenfold. Her eyes were wide open and glazed over, her lips slightly parted, and her skin pale as snow and just as cold.

Snow white except for the crimson that tainted it greatly from the piercing wound across her head. From side to side a thin hole pierced through, clean cut. Placing his hand on her cheek, he tried cleaning it away but found he couldn't. He chuckled despised himself, of course he couldn't. It was obvious, she must have been dead awhile for the blood to have dried up.

A firm hand held his shoulder which, he hadn't noticed in the slightest, was trembling. "I'm so sorry, Yu-kun."

Kanda bit his bottom lip and cradled her to himself. Soft words from that conversation came to his mind and kept getting louder, hurting his head.

_"What? Do you not care what happens to me?!"_

**Of course I do. I always have.** _"It won't happen."_

_"What?"_ **I won't let it.**

_"I won't let you die...Not again."_

"I'm sorry," he whispered to her, brushing her lips, even though he knew she couldn't hear and softly placed his lips on her own. And for the first time ever, he felt the coldness of death shatter what was left of his heart.

"Don't be."

The unfamiliar voice came from before them making Tiedoll turn. Kanda, however, ignored it not wanting to look away. if he did, he felt like it -this- would become just too real.

"Kanda Yu," the voice directed his attention towards him.

"What the fuck do you want." The words were snarled at the person. He was a ferocious animal and a hurt animal was the worst kind to deal with.

"You wouldn't say that if I told you that the worthless piece of trash your hold-"

**"Shut your fucking mouth before I rip you in half?!"** Kanda snapped finally turned up facing the man that spoke to them. Ambrose, with a somber look, stared directly into his eyes, making contact with the hurt beast.

"At least that caught your attention." Ambrose knelt down before the two without breaking eye contact. "What if I told you-" Reaching slowly with his hand, Ambrose noticed immediately how Kanda held tighter at seeing him do so. Slightly flinching, he continued and slightly tapped Celia's 'heart' making it burst with crimson light once. At this, Celia took one fast and short breath that ended just as fast as the light had come and gone. "-that she's not gone just yet."

* * *

**Dun-dun-dun! xD**

**I'm so evil! :D I left such a cliffhanger! And guess what, I don't think I'm updating the next chapter until the next DGM chapter comes out. And goodness knows when that's gonna happen x) Sorry guys, but I had to end it interestingly. **

**You guys think she's dead or what the fuck happened to her? Leave your thoughts on the review cuz I'm really curious just how mad I made you bros :D **

**Till next time ;)**


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